Word
On vaikeaa jäädä yksinhuoltajaksi.
Meaning
It is difficult to be left a single parent.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of On vaikeaa jäädä yksinhuoltajaksi.
olla
to be
vaikea
difficult / hard
jäädä
to stay
yksinhuoltaja
the single parent
Questions & Answers about On vaikeaa jäädä yksinhuoltajaksi.
Why does yksinhuoltaja take the translative ending -ksi in this sentence?
The verb jäädä governs the translative case when it expresses a resulting state or role. You are not just physically staying somewhere; you are ending up in the condition of a single parent. The translative case marks this transition.
Why is it On vaikeaa (partitive) instead of On vaikea (nominative)?
In an impersonal sentence where the real subject is an infinitive phrase (here, jäädä yksinhuoltajaksi), the describing adjective typically takes the partitive case. You are expressing that the abstract action itself is a difficult thing.
If I wanted to use the verb olla to say that it is difficult to be a single parent, would I still use the -ksi ending?
No. If you use the verb olla (to be) to describe an ongoing state rather than a transition, you drop the translative case and use the nominative: On vaikeaa olla yksinhuoltaja. The translative -ksi is specifically triggered by verbs of change or resulting states like jäädä.
What are the root words that make up yksinhuoltaja?
It is a compound of yksin (alone) and huoltaja (guardian or provider). Huoltaja itself is derived from the verb huoltaa (to take care of or maintain) combined with the agent suffix -ja (the person who does the action).