Breakdown of Kuljettaja vammautui onnettomuudessa, mutta kuntoutuu hyvin.
mutta
but
hyvin
well
onnettomuus
accident (serious accident, disaster)
kuljettaja
driver
kuntoutua
to rehabilitate
vammautua
to get injured (severely)
Questions & Answers about Kuljettaja vammautui onnettomuudessa, mutta kuntoutuu hyvin.
How does the suffix -utua change the meaning of the base word in kuntoutuu?
The base word is the noun kunto (condition, fitness). Adding the translative suffix -utua (a variant of the -ntua suffix taught in this lesson) creates the verb kuntoutua, meaning 'to get back into condition' or 'to rehabilitate'. It indicates a change of state happening naturally to the subject.
Why use the active verb vammautui when the English translation says 'was injured' in the passive voice?
English often uses the passive voice for accidents, but Finnish frequently expresses this with inchoative verbs. The verb vammautua comes from vamma (injury, disability) and literally means 'to become injured'. Grammatically, the driver is the active subject undergoing a change of state, not the target of a passive action.
I usually use the verb loukkaantua for getting injured. How is vammautua different here?
While both describe getting hurt, vammautua implies a more severe physical trauma that might result in a lasting mark or disability. loukkaantua is a more common, everyday word for getting hurt, and it can also mean getting emotionally offended.
If kuntoutua means the driver is rehabilitating, how would I say that a doctor is rehabilitating the driver?
You would use the transitive verb kuntouttaa. In Finnish verb derivation, the -utua / -ntyä endings usually mean the subject undergoes the change themselves (intransitive), while the -uttaa / -ttää endings mean the subject causes the change in an object (transitive).
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