Learn Finnish: Kissa kavahtaa aina isoa koiraa. - The cat always recoils from a big dog.

The suffix -ahtaa creates a momentane verb, which describes a sudden, quick, or brief action. While kavahtaa (to recoil or flinch) does not have a common non-momentane base verb in modern Finnish, the suffix still gives the action its sudden, reflexive feeling.

If momentane verbs describe a sudden, one-time action, why is the word aina (always) used here?

Although momentane verbs describe a brief, sudden movement, adding aina shows that this sudden reaction happens repeatedly. It means the cat does this quick flinching action every single time it encounters a big dog.

Why are isoa and koiraa in the partitive case?

Verbs expressing emotions, negative reactions, or avoidance generally require their object to be in the partitive case. Because the cat is instinctively reacting to and avoiding the dog, the object iso koira becomes the partitive isoa koiraa.

Why is the frequency adverb aina placed after the verb rather than before it?

In Finnish, adverbs of time or frequency like aina usually follow the main verb, unlike in English where they often precede it. Placing it before the verb (Kissa aina kavahtaa) is possible but generally sounds heavily emphatic or poetic.