Breakdown of Hän pyrki yliopistoon, mutta päätyi ammattikorkeakouluun.
hän
he / she
mutta
but
yliopisto
the university
pyrkiä
to strive for / to apply to
ammattikorkeakoulu
university of applied sciences
päätyä
to end up in
Questions & Answers about Hän pyrki yliopistoon, mutta päätyi ammattikorkeakouluun.
Why are yliopistoon and ammattikorkeakouluun in the illative (into) case here?
Both pyrkiä (to strive for / aim at) and päätyä (to end up) are goal-oriented verbs. In Finnish, verbs that describe ending up at a destination or striving toward a goal require the illative case, even if English uses 'in' or 'at'.
How is pyrkiä different from hakea when talking about applying to schools?
While both can mean 'to apply' and both take the illative case, hakea is more about the administrative act of submitting an application. Pyrkiä translates closer to 'striving for' or 'trying to get into', emphasizing the effort and the goal-oriented nature of the action.
The verb päätyä looks a lot like päättää (to decide). Are they related?
Yes, they share the same root. While päättää is an active verb meaning 'to decide' or 'to bring to an end', päätyä is its automative counterpart, meaning 'to end up'. Because päätyä represents the final endpoint of a process or journey, it demands the illative case for the destination.
I see ammattikorkeakouluun is a long compound word. How do I know which part takes the case ending?
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