Breakdown of Älä pelkää tulla nähdyksi julkisesti!
nähdä
to see
älä
don't (negative imperative)
tulla
to become
pelätä
to fear
julkisesti
publicly
Questions & Answers about Älä pelkää tulla nähdyksi julkisesti!
How does the phrase tulla nähdyksi translate to "being seen"?
This uses the construction you are currently learning: the verb tulla (to become) followed by the passive past participle in the translative case (-ksi). Literally, it means "to become into (the state of) having been seen". It is the standard Finnish way to express passive experiences like "getting caught", "being chosen", or "being seen".
Why is the participle nähty (seen) changed to nähdyksi with a d?
This is due to consonant gradation. The base passive past participle is nähty. When we add the translative suffix -ksi, the final syllable becomes closed, which triggers the weak grade. The consonant cluster ht weakens to hd, turning nähty into nähdyksi.
Why is tulla in its basic first infinitive form here?
It is acting as the object of the verb pelkää (from pelätä, to fear). Because the subject experiencing the fear and the subject experiencing the action are the same person (you), pelätä connects directly to the first infinitive. In English, we often use an -ing word for this ("fear being"), but Finnish uses the infinitive.
Can I express this without using the translative participle construction?
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