Breakdown of Hän yrittää kovasti oppia suomea.
hän
he / she
oppia
to learn
suomi
Finnish (language)
yrittää
to try
kovasti
hard, intensely
Questions & Answers about Hän yrittää kovasti oppia suomea.
Why is kovasti placed between the two verbs here instead of at the end of the sentence?
While Finnish word order is flexible, placing an adverb of manner or attitude like kovasti immediately after the main verb (yrittää) strongly links the effort to the act of trying. Placing it at the end (Hän yrittää oppia suomea kovasti) is grammatically possible but sounds slightly less natural, as the adverb gets separated from the verb it modifies.
Could we move kovasti to the very beginning of the sentence?
Yes, starting with Kovasti hän yrittää oppia suomea is perfectly valid. Moving the adverb to the front makes it the topic of the sentence, heavily emphasizing the sheer amount of effort he is putting in, rather than just stating a neutral fact.
Why is suomea in the partitive case here?
There are two reasons working together here. First, languages as objects of study are typically in the partitive case because the learning process is ongoing and unquantifiable. Second, the verb yrittää (to try) inherently implies an incomplete action, which always demands a partitive object.
What is the root word for the adverb kovasti?
It is derived from the adjective kova, which means hard, tough, or loud. Adding the -sti suffix turns it into an adverb, similar to adding '-ly' in English, though in this context it translates best simply as 'hard' or 'a lot'.
Learn Hän yrittää kovasti oppia suomea and more in Finnish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free