Hän ei jaksanut katsoa koko elokuvaa, koska hän oli väsynyt.

to be

Breakdown of Hän ei jaksanut katsoa koko elokuvaa, koska hän oli väsynyt.

• hän: he/she
• koska: because
• katsoa: to watch
• väsynyt: tired
• ei: not
• elokuva: the movie
• jaksaa: to have the energy
• koko: entire

Questions & Answers about Hän ei jaksanut katsoa koko elokuvaa, koska hän oli väsynyt.

What does jaksanut mean, and how is it formed in this sentence?

Jaksanut is the past form of the verb jaksaa, which means “to have the energy, strength, or capacity to do something.” In this sentence, it indicates that the subject did not have the stamina to watch the entire movie. Notice that in negative past constructions, Finnish often uses this past participle form after the negative auxiliary.

Why is katsoa in its basic, or infinitive, form in this sentence?

In Finnish, when a verb like jaksaa governs another action, the second verb appears in its infinitive form. Here, katsoa means “to watch,” and it follows jaksanut because after expressing ability or energy with jaksaa, the main action is always given as an infinitive.

Why is the object elokuvaa in the partitive case instead of what might seem like the accusative?

When a Finnish sentence is negative, the object often takes the partitive case to express an incomplete or indefinite action. Although a positive sentence might present the object in the accusative (like elokuvan), the negation with ei causes elokuvaa to appear in the partitive form.

What is the role of the subordinate clause starting with koska in this sentence?

Koska is a subordinating conjunction meaning “because.” It introduces a clause that provides the reason for the action in the main clause. In this sentence, koska hän oli väsynyt explains that the subject did not have the energy to watch the movie because he or she was tired.

What does the pronoun Hän refer to, and is it gender-specific?

The pronoun Hän is a gender-neutral third-person singular pronoun in Finnish. It can refer to either “he” or “she,” which is why it is commonly used without specifying gender.

How is negation expressed in this Finnish sentence, and what impact does it have on the verb and object forms?

Negation is expressed with the negative auxiliary ei, which is placed immediately after the subject (Hän). In negative sentences, the main verb takes a specific form—in this case, jaksanut is used instead of the basic present form. Additionally, the object of the verb, here elokuvaa, often shifts to the partitive case under negation, as is typical in Finnish grammar.