Questions & Answers about Selkeä vastaus auttaa minua.
Why is selkeä not selkeää?
Because selkeä is the nominative singular form of the adjective agreeing with vastaus, which is also in the nominative singular. The partitive form selkeää would only be used if the whole noun phrase were in the partitive case (e.g. Tarvitsen selkeää vastausta: “I need a clear answer”).
Why is vastaus in the nominative case?
Because vastaus is the grammatical subject of the sentence (“A clear answer helps me”). In Finnish, subjects appear in the nominative case (unless negated or in certain passive constructions).
What form is auttaa, and why does it look like the infinitive?
Auttaa is actually the present tense, third person singular of the verb auttaa (“to help”). In Finnish, the dictionary form of many verbs matches the 3rd person singular present:
• autan (I help)
• autat (you help)
• auttaa (he/she/it helps)
Why is the pronoun minua in the partitive case?
Personal pronouns in object position normally take the partitive case: minä → minua, sinä → sinua, etc. Also, many verbs that denote helping, liking, or needing use the partitive for their objects.
Why are there no words for “a” or “the” in this sentence?