Questions & Answers about Puvun hiha on löysä.
Why does the word for suit change to puvun instead of "pukun"?
The base word is puku. When we add the genitive -n ending to say "of the suit", it triggers consonant gradation. Usually, a single k might disappear, but between two u vowels, k changes to v. This is why puku becomes puvun.
Is the adjective löysä only used for clothing?
No, löysä is a very common adjective of dimension. While it means "loose" or "baggy" for clothes, you can also use it for a loose screw, a slack rope, or even relaxed rules.
What is the opposite of löysä when talking about how clothes fit?
The most common opposite is kireä, which means "tight". You might also hear tiukka, which similarly means "tight" or "strict". Both are important adjectives of dimension to learn for shopping and describing objects.
Why is the word order Puvun hiha instead of "Hiha puvun" for "the sleeve of the suit"?
In Finnish, the possessor (the word in the genitive case, ending in -n) almost always comes before the thing it owns. Finnish prefers the structure "the suit's sleeve" (puvun hiha) rather than the English "sleeve of the suit" structure.