Breakdown of Koko rakennus vavahti, kun juna ajoi ohi.
juna
train
ajaa
to drive
koko
whole
kun
when (conjunction)
rakennus
the building
ohi
past, over (by)
vavahtaa
to shudder
Questions & Answers about Koko rakennus vavahti, kun juna ajoi ohi.
How does the suffix -ahtaa change the meaning of the verb to create vavahti?
This is a momentane verb, which describes a sudden, brief, or single-occurrence action. The base verb is vavista (to tremble or shake continuously). By adding the momentane suffix to form vavahtaa, the meaning changes to a single, quick action: to shudder once. Vavahti is the past tense form of this derived verb.
How do we form the past tense vavahti from the infinitive vavahtaa?
In the past tense (imperfect), the final -a or -ä of a verb stem changes to -i. The stem vavahta- becomes vavahti-. Because the subject is a third-person singular noun (rakennus), no personal ending is added.
Does the word koko change its ending if the sentence is in a different case?
No, koko (meaning the whole or entire) is an indeclinable modifier. It always stays exactly the same, regardless of the case of the noun it modifies. For example, if you wanted to say in the whole building, it would be koko rakennuksessa, never kokossa rakennuksessa.
Can ohi be used on its own without a genitive noun before it?
Yes. You might be used to seeing ohi as a postposition requiring a noun in the genitive case (like aseman ohi for past the station). However, here it functions as an adverb modifying the verb. Ajaa ohi simply means to drive past or to drive by.
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