Questions & Answers about Nuorin veli on aina omituisehko.
How exactly is the suffix -hko added to a word like omituinen?
When adding suffixes to words ending in -nen, you must use the inflectional stem, which ends in -se-. The stem for omituinen is omituise-, and you simply attach -hko directly to it, making omituisehko.
Why do we use -hko here instead of its front-vowel pair -hkö?
The choice depends on vowel harmony. Even though omituinen has the neutral vowels i and e, it also contains the back vowels o and u. The presence of these back vowels dictates that the suffix must also use a back vowel, making it -hko.
Is it more common to use this suffix or to just say melko omituinen?
In everyday spoken Finnish, it is much more common to use a separate word like melko (fairly) or aika (quite/rather) before the basic adjective. The suffix -hko means the exact same thing but has a slightly more literary, concise, or descriptive feel to it.
Just to be sure, is nuorin an irregular word for "youngest"?