Breakdown of Koiramme on tosi tottelevainen ja hyvätapainen.
olla
to be
koira
dog
ja
and
tosi
really (intensifier)
tottelevainen
obedient
hyvätapainen
well-mannered
Questions & Answers about Koiramme on tosi tottelevainen ja hyvätapainen.
How exactly is the word hyvätapainen built?
It perfectly follows the rule for compound property adjectives taught in this lesson. It combines hyvä (good) with the noun tapa (habit or manner) and the suffix -inen. When adding -inen, the final vowel of tapa drops out, giving us hyvätapainen (well-mannered).
Why isn't the first part of the compound in the genitive case, like in hyväntuulinen?
That is a great catch! Many compound property adjectives take a genitive first part (like hyväntuulinen or pahanhajuinen). However, adjectives built with tapa are an exception. Both hyvätapainen and huonotapainen are established words where the modifier stays in the basic nominative form instead of taking the genitive -n.
Does tottelevainen work the same way as hyvätapainen since it also ends in -inen?
Not quite. While both end in -inen, tottelevainen (obedient) is formed from the verb totella (to obey) rather than a noun. It uses the specific suffix -vainen, which attaches to verb stems to describe someone who has a strong habit or tendency to do that action.
Can I say Meidän koiramme instead of just Koiramme?
Yes, you can. In standard written Finnish, the pronoun meidän (our) is optional when you use the -mme possessive suffix. In everyday spoken Finnish, people usually do the exact opposite: they say Meidän koira and drop the suffix entirely.
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