Word
Verkkokauppa myy kirjoja.
Meaning
The online store sells books.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Finnish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Verkkokauppa myy kirjoja.
What does verkkokauppa literally mean, and how is it formed?
Verkkokauppa is a compound noun made up of verkko (web) + kauppa (shop). Literally it means “web shop,” i.e. an online store.
Why is there no word for “the” or “a” in the sentence?
Finnish has no articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is shown by context, word order, or case endings rather than separate words like “the” or “a.”
Why is kirjoja in the partitive plural instead of the nominative plural kirjat?
The partitive plural (kirjoja) is used because the sentence refers to an indefinite amount of books (“some books” or “books in general”). If you said verkkokauppa myy kirjat, you would imply “the online store sells the books” (all of them, a specific set), using nominative plural.
How do you form the partitive plural for a word like kirja?
Take the stem kirj-, insert the partitive marker -o-, and add -ja (or -a after stems ending in a vowel). So kirj- + o + ja = kirjoja.
What is the base (dictionary) form of the verb myy, and what does it mean?
Myy is the 3rd person singular present of the verb myydä, which means “to sell.”
Why is the verb in singular when it looks like the subject (verkkokauppa) might sell multiple books?
The verb agrees with the subject verkkokauppa, which is singular. Number agreement in Finnish is between subject and verb, not between subject and object.
Is the word order in Finnish always Subject-Verb-Object like in the example?
No, Finnish is fairly flexible. S-V-O is common and neutral, but you can move elements for emphasis: Kirjoja myy verkkokauppa (“It’s the online store that sells books”) or Myy verkkokauppa kirjoja (emphasizing the action) are both grammatically correct.