Breakdown of Hengellinen mies istuu lattialla ja rukoilee.
ja
and
mies
man
istua
to sit
lattia
floor
rukoilla
to pray
hengellinen
spiritual
Questions & Answers about Hengellinen mies istuu lattialla ja rukoilee.
How is the word hengellinen formed?
It is derived from the noun henki (spirit, breath, or life). The suffix -llinen is a common way to turn nouns into adjectives, meaning 'having the quality of' that noun, so here it translates to 'spiritual'.
Why do we use the adessive case for lattialla instead of a movement case like the allative?
In Finnish, the verb istua (to sit) is viewed as a static state rather than a movement. Therefore, it requires a static location case like the adessive -lla (on the floor) rather than a destination case like the allative -lle (onto the floor). We use -lla rather than -ssa because someone sits on the open surface of the floor, not inside it.
What verb type is rukoilla and how is the form rukoilee built?
The infinitive is rukoilla (to pray), which is a Type 3 verb. To get the present tense stem, you drop the -lla ending and add an -e, giving the stem rukoile-. For the third-person singular, you lengthen the final vowel of the stem, resulting in rukoilee.
If the man refused to pray, how would we change this sentence to use the verb kieltäytyä (to refuse)?
You would say Hengellinen mies kieltäytyy rukoilemasta. As covered in this lesson, verbs of refusing require the elative case. To attach a second verb to kieltäytyä, you must use the third infinitive elative form, which in this instance is rukoilemasta (from praying).
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