Learn Hardcore Finnish: Hän on taitava kuvaamaan lintuja. - She/He is skilled at photographing birds.

After adjectives that describe skill or aptitude such as taitava, hyvä, and huono, Finnish uses the third infinitive in the illative case: V-maan/-mään. So the pattern is olla taitava/ hyvä/ huono + V-maan/mään. Using the basic infinitive kuvata here would be ungrammatical.

What exactly is the form kuvaamaan, and how is it formed?

Kuvaamaan is the third infinitive in the illative (often called the MA-infinitive illative). Formation: take the strong verb stem (kuvaa- from kuvata), add -ma/-mä to get kuvaama, then add the illative -an/-än → kuvaamaan. Vowel harmony chooses -maan (because kuvata has back vowels). The double aa comes from the stem vowel plus the case ending.

What does the -maan ending express in this sentence?

Here -maan marks an activity as the target of ability/aptitude: “skilled at doing X.” With motion verbs (e.g., mennä kuvaamaan) it can also mark purpose (“to go in order to photograph”), but with adjectives like taitava it corresponds to English “at” after adjectives of skill.

Why is lintuja in the partitive plural instead of linnut?

Lintuja (partitive plural) signals an indefinite, open-ended or generic object—“birds (in general).” Using linnut would point to a specific, delimited set, roughly “the birds (all of them).” With general abilities or habitual activities, Finnish prefers the partitive plural.

Could I use the singular partitive lintua?

You could say lintua, but it would usually suggest “a bird” (some unspecified single bird at a time) rather than birds in general, so it’s not the natural choice for expressing a general skill. Lintuja is the idiomatic way to talk about photographing birds as a category or in plural.

Does hän mean “he” or “she”?

Hän is gender-neutral and covers both “he” and “she.” In colloquial speech, Finns often use se for people, so you may hear Se on taitava kuvaamaan lintuja in informal contexts.

Can I omit hän here?

Usually, no. In third person, Finnish doesn’t freely drop the subject pronoun the way some languages do; On taitava kuvaamaan lintuja would sound fragmentary or impersonal. If the subject is crystal clear from prior context, it can sometimes be left out in speech, but the safe, standard form includes hän.

How do I pronounce kuvaamaan, and why is there a double aa?

Pronounce it roughly as “koo-vah-maan,” with stress on the first syllable and a long aa in both -vaa- and -maan. The double aa results from the stem kuvaa- plus the -ma nominalizer and the illative -an.

What’s the difference between taitava and hyvä here?

Both are correct: Hän on taitava kuvaamaan lintuja and Hän on hyvä kuvaamaan lintuja. Taitava leans toward “skilled, proficient,” often implying practiced ability; hyvä is broader, simply “good (at).” In everyday speech, hyvä is extremely common; taitava sounds a bit more evaluative of skill.

Can I say Hän on kuvaamassa lintuja?

Yes, but it means something different: Hän on kuvaamassa lintuja = “He/She is (currently) photographing birds” (in the middle of the activity). That uses the third infinitive inessive -massa/-mässä for an ongoing action, not ability.

How would I say “He/She is a skilled bird photographer”?

Use a compound noun: Hän on taitava lintukuvaaja. That describes the person as a skilled bird photographer (as a profession or hobby), rather than just being good at the activity.

Does kuvata always mean “to photograph”?

No. Kuvata can mean “to photograph,” “to film,” or “to depict/describe,” depending on context. If you need to be unambiguous: valokuvata = to take photographs; filmata = to film; kuvailla = to describe in words.

Could I use a -minen noun instead, like Hän on taitava lintujen kuvaamisessa?

Yes: Hän on taitava lintujen kuvaamisessa is grammatical and means “skilled in photographing birds.” However, it’s heavier and more formal. In everyday Finnish, the -maan/-mään construction (taitava kuvaamaan) is more natural with verbs.

How would the sentence change with a plural subject (they)?

He ovat taitavia kuvaamaan lintuja. The verb becomes ovat, and the predicative adjective typically appears in the plural (taitavia) with this pattern.

Can I change the word order, like Hän on taitava lintuja kuvaamaan?

Yes, Finnish allows word-order flexibility for emphasis. Hän on taitava lintuja kuvaamaan puts extra focus on lintuja; the neutral, most common order is Hän on taitava kuvaamaan lintuja.

Where is the English “at” in the Finnish sentence?

It’s expressed by the case ending -maan/-mään on the verb’s third infinitive. Finnish uses case endings instead of prepositions here, so taitava kuvaamaan corresponds to “good/skillful at doing.”