Breakdown of Opiskelijan on aika tehdä osoitteenmuutos, vaikka aikapula on suuri.
olla
to be
opiskelija
student
aika
time (concept, duration)
tehdä
to do
vaikka
although / even though
suuri
large, great
osoitteenmuutos
change of address
aikapula
lack of time
Questions & Answers about Opiskelijan on aika tehdä osoitteenmuutos, vaikka aikapula on suuri.
Why is osoitteenmuutos in the basic nominative form instead of the accusative osoitteenmuutoksen?
This is the core rule of the on aika (it is time) and on pakko (must) constructions. When you have a genitive subject (opiskelijan) followed by one of these necessity phrases and a first infinitive (tehdä), any total object drops its accusative or genitive ending and appears in the basic nominative form. That is why it is osoitteenmuutos.
Why is opiskelijan in the genitive case here?
In Finnish necessity structures like on pakko or täytyy, as well as phrases expressing that it is someone's time to do something (on aika), the person performing the action acts as a genitive subject. Literally, the structure translates closer to 'It is of the student the time to make'.
The word aikapula means lack of time. Is this a common way to express being busy?
Yes, using a compound word with pula (shortage or lack) is very common and natural in Finnish. Instead of simply saying someone does not have time (ei ole aikaa), you can describe the situation as an aikapula. Similarly, a lack of money is referred to as rahapula.
Could I just use the verb muuttaa instead of tehdä osoitteenmuutos?
You could say muuttaa osoite (to change the address), but tehdä osoitteenmuutos is the established, official term used in Finland for filing a formal change of address with the authorities. Using tehdä (to make or do) combined with an action noun is very common in bureaucratic and official Finnish.
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