Breakdown of Tekstiviesti on lyhyt ja selkeä.
olla
to be
ja
and
selkeä
clear
lyhyt
short
tekstiviesti
the text message
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Questions & Answers about Tekstiviesti on lyhyt ja selkeä.
What does tekstiviesti mean, and how is it formed?
It literally means “text message.” It’s a compound noun made up of teksti (“text”) + viesti (“message”). Finnish often creates new words by combining existing ones into compounds.
What case and number is tekstiviesti, and why?
It’s in the nominative singular. The nominative is the basic (unmarked) form used for the subject of a sentence. Since there’s no article in Finnish, the bare noun functions as both “a text message” or “the text message” depending on context.
Why doesn’t Finnish use an article like “a” or “the” before tekstiviesti?
Finnish doesn’t have separate words for definite or indefinite articles. Instead, it relies on word order, case endings, and context to express definiteness or indefiniteness.
What does on mean in this sentence, and which verb is it?
on is the third-person singular present tense of the verb olla (“to be”). It corresponds to “is” in English.
What case and number are the adjectives lyhyt and selkeä in, and why are they in that form?
They are in the nominative singular to agree with tekstiviesti. In Finnish, adjectives take the same case ending (or lack thereof) and number as the noun they modify.
How do you form adjective agreement in Finnish?
Match the adjective’s case and number to its noun. For a singular subject in the nominative, both the noun and its adjectives appear in the nominative singular (no extra ending).
What role does ja play here?
ja means “and.” It simply links the two adjectives lyhyt and selkeä, just like “and” does in English.
Can you change the word order in this sentence?
Yes. Finnish word order is relatively flexible for emphasis. For example:
• Lyhyt ja selkeä tekstiviesti. (Adjectives first, headline style)
• Selkeä tekstiviesti on lyhyt. (Focus on “selkeä”)
But the original Tekstiviesti on lyhyt ja selkeä. is the most neutral.
How is lyhyt pronounced, and what vowel is y?
Lyhyt is pronounced [ˈlyhyt]. The y represents a front rounded vowel (similar to German ü). Stress in Finnish always falls on the first syllable, so it’s LY-hyt.
Where is the stress in selkeä, and how do you pronounce its vowels?
Stress is on the first syllable: SEL-ke-ä. In Finnish each vowel is pronounced distinctly, so selkeä sounds like [ˈselkeæ], with the final “ä” as a separate vowel.