Breakdown of Hän jäi yksinhuoltajaksi, kun hänen puolisonsa kuoli.
hän
he / she
jäädä
to stay
kun
when (conjunction)
kuolla
to die
Questions & Answers about Hän jäi yksinhuoltajaksi, kun hänen puolisonsa kuoli.
Why does the sentence use jäi (from jäädä) if the translation says 'became'? Doesn't jäädä mean 'to stay' or 'to remain'?
While jäädä normally means 'to stay' or 'to remain', it takes on a slightly different nuance when paired with the translative case. It implies being left in a new state or role due to circumstances. In English, translating it as 'was left as' or 'became' captures this resulting transition much better than 'stayed'.
Why is yksinhuoltaja (single parent) in the translative case (yksinhuoltajaksi)?
This is the core rule for the verb jäädä when expressing a resulting state. Verbs like jäädä (to end up as) and jättää (to leave someone/something as) govern the translative case (the -ksi ending) to show the new condition or role that the subject ends up in.
Is it mandatory to include the -nsa suffix on puolisonsa since the word hänen is already there?
Yes, in standard written Finnish, the third-person possessive suffix (-nsa or -nsä) is strictly required when you use hänen or heidän. In spoken or informal Finnish, people often drop it and just say hänen puoliso, but mastering this agreement is expected at a B2 level.
How exactly does the compound word yksinhuoltaja break down?