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Questions & Answers about Lapsi leikkii ulkona.
Why is the subject "lapsi" in that form?
In Finnish, lapsi is in the nominative case, which is the typical form used for the subject of a sentence. It simply means child in English.
Why does the verb "leikkii" end with "ii"?
In Finnish, the third-person singular present tense often ends with -i or -ee, depending on the verb type. For the verb leikkiä (to play), the third-person singular present tense is leikkii. It indicates that the child (he/she) is currently performing the action of playing.
What is the role of "ulkona" in this sentence?
Ulkona means outside and indicates the location where the child is playing. It comes from the base form ulko with the inessive case ending -na, which is used to express being in or at a place.
Can this sentence indicate the child’s gender?
No. Finnish does not generally specify gender through pronouns or nouns in the same way English does. The word lapsi simply means child without implying whether it is a boy or a girl.
Do I need to use any articles before "lapsi" like in English?
No. Finnish does not use articles (such as “a” or “the”). You simply say lapsi (child) instead of adding any articles before it.