Breakdown of Sekä ikärakenne että elinikä muuttuvat.
että
that (conjunction)
muuttua
to change
sekä
both
ikärakenne
age structure
elinikä
life expectancy
Questions & Answers about Sekä ikärakenne että elinikä muuttuvat.
Why is the verb muuttuvat in the plural form when both ikärakenne and elinikä are singular?
Because the subject is formed with the phrase sekä ... että ... (both ... and ...). In Finnish, when two singular subjects are connected this way, they form a plural subject together. Therefore, the verb must take the plural ending -vat.
Could I use the verb muuttavat instead of muuttuvat here?
No. The verb muuttua is intransitive, meaning the subject itself undergoes a change. The verb muuttaa is transitive, meaning the subject changes something else (or moves to a new home). Since the age structure and life expectancy are changing on their own without a direct object, we must use the intransitive muuttuvat.
How is the compound word elinikä formed? Doesn't elin usually mean 'organ'?
While the standalone noun elin does mean 'organ', in compound words like this it acts as a prefix derived directly from the verb elää (to live) to mean 'life' or 'living'. Combined with ikä (age), it creates elinikä (life expectancy or lifetime). You will also see this root in words like elintaso (standard of living).
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