Breakdown of Opastauluhan koskee vain ruokintaa.
vain
only
koskea
to concern / apply to
opastaulu
information board
ruokinta
feeding
Questions & Answers about Opastauluhan koskee vain ruokintaa.
Why is ruokintaa in the partitive case here?
The verb koskea changes its meaning based on the case of its object. When it governs the partitive case, as in koskee ruokintaa, it means "to concern" or "to apply to". If it governed the illative case, it would mean "to physically touch".
How would the sentence change if it meant "The information board physically touches the feeding area"?
You would change the object to the illative case. The sentence would become Opastauluhan koskee vain ruokintaan. The illative case with koskea always implies physical contact.
What does the -han suffix add to Opastauluhan?
The clitic particle -han (or -hän) acts as a subtle reminder or softens a statement, often translating to "you know" or "after all". Here, the speaker is pointing out a fact about the information board that the listener is expected to either already know or easily see.
How is the word ruokinta formed?
It is a noun derived from the verb ruokkia (to feed). Adding the suffix -nta or -ntä to a verb stem turns it into a noun that represents the continuous action of doing that verb, so ruokinta means the act of "feeding".