Breakdown of Älä anna periksi vaikeuksista huolimatta!
älä
don't (negative imperative)
huolimatta
despite
antaa periksi
to give up (to yield, give in)
vaikeus
difficulty
Questions & Answers about Älä anna periksi vaikeuksista huolimatta!
How does the postposition huolimatta work here?
The word huolimatta (despite / in spite of) always requires the word it modifies to be in the elative case (-sta/-stä). Here, the noun vaikeus (difficulty) is put into the elative plural form vaikeuksista to satisfy this rule.
Can huolimatta be placed before the noun instead?
Yes, huolimatta is flexible and can act as either a postposition or a preposition. You could say huolimatta vaikeuksista with no change in meaning, though it is much more commonly used as a postposition after the noun.
Where does the word periksi come from in the phrase antaa periksi?
The idiom antaa periksi (to give up / to yield) uses the translative case of the noun perä (back, rear, or stern). Literally, it translates to something like 'to give backward' or 'to yield ground'.
Why does the stem of vaikeus change so much in vaikeuksista?
Nouns ending in -us or -ys (like vaikeus) have a plural stem ending in -uksi-. To form the elative plural, you take this plural stem and add the -sta ending, resulting in vaikeuksista.
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