Breakdown of Sovellus auttaa tarkkailemaan unta.
auttaa
to help
uni
the sleep
sovellus
the app
tarkkailla
to monitor
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Finnish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Sovellus auttaa tarkkailemaan unta.
Why is tarkkailemaan used instead of the basic form tarkkailla?
After verbs like auttaa (“help”), Finnish demands the illative of the first infinitive (often called the 3rd infinitive) to express “to do something.” That illative ending is -maan/-mään, so tarkkailemaan means “(in order) to monitor.”
Why is uni in the partitive case (unta)?
The verb tarkkailla always takes its object in the partitive. Also, the partitive marks ongoing or incomplete actions (“monitoring” sleep over time), so uni → unta.
Can you include a personal pronoun, like minua (“me”)?
Yes. If you want to specify who’s being helped, you say Sovellus auttaa minua tarkkailemaan unta. Finnish often omits the pronoun when it’s clear from context.
What case is sovellus in, and why?
Sovellus is in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the sentence. Subjects in Finnish typically remain in nominative.
How would you make this sentence negative?
Insert ei after the subject and keep the same infinitive form:
Sovellus ei auta tarkkailemaan unta.
(“The app does not help to monitor sleep.”)
How do you turn it into a yes/no question?
Move the verb into question form and place it first:
Auttaako sovellus tarkkailemaan unta?
(“Does the app help to monitor sleep?”)
Can you replace sovellus with se (“it”)?
Yes, once the app has been introduced, you can refer to it with se:
Se auttaa tarkkailemaan unta.
What’s the difference between tarkkailla and seurata here?
Both can mean “to monitor” or “to follow,” but tarkkailla suggests careful, detailed observation (e.g. tracking sleep patterns), whereas seurata is more general (“to follow,” “to watch”).