Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Finnish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Voisitko vastata nopeammin?
What does each part of the sentence correspond to?
- Voisitko = could you? (from verb voida “to be able,” with conditional marker -isi-, 2nd person singular -t, plus yes/no question clitic -ko)
- vastata = to answer/respond (1st/“A-” infinitive of vastata)
- nopeammin = faster/more quickly (comparative adverb formed from nopea/nopeasti)
Why is the conditional used in voisitko?
Finnish uses the conditional (-isi-) to make polite requests, similar to English “could/would.” Voisitko is more polite and softer than voitko (“can you”).
How exactly is voisitko formed?
- Dictionary form: voida (to be able)
- Conditional stem: voi-si-
- 2nd person singular: add -t → voisit
- Yes/no question clitic: add -ko → voisitko Because the last vowel before the clitic is a back vowel (o), the clitic takes the back form -ko (not -kö).
Where is the subject “you”? Why isn’t sinä used?
The subject is encoded in the verb ending -t (2nd person singular). Finnish normally drops subject pronouns unless emphasizing: Voisitko sinä vastata nopeammin? puts contrastive emphasis on “you.”
Why is it vastata (infinitive) and not vastaat or vastaa?
With modal verbs like voida (“to be able to”), the main verb stays in the infinitive: voisitko vastata = “could you answer.” If you move the conditional to the main verb instead, you’d say: Vastaisitko nopeammin? (“Would you answer faster?”), which is also polite.
What is the difference between voisitko and voitko?
- Voisitko = “could you” (more polite, softer)
- Voitko = “can you” (more direct; still fine in many contexts) In emails or requests to strangers, voisitko is safer.
What does nopeammin come from, and why that form?
It’s the comparative adverb of nopea/nopeasti:
- Adjective: nopea (fast)
- Adverb: nopeasti (fast/quickly)
- Comparative adjective: nopeampi (faster)
- Comparative adverb: nopeammin (faster/more quickly) You need the adverb because you’re modifying a verb (“answer”).
Why not say nopeampi here?
Nopeampi is an adjective (“faster” describing a noun), e.g., nopeampi vastaus (“a faster answer”). Here you’re modifying the action of answering, so you need the adverb nopeammin.
What’s the nuance difference between nopeasti and nopeammin?
- nopeasti = quickly (absolute speed)
- nopeammin = more quickly/faster (relative to how it has been so far) The sentence asks for an increase in speed, so nopeammin is the natural choice.
Can I add “please”? Where does kiitos go?
Yes. You can say:
- Voisitko vastata nopeammin, kiitos.
- Kiitos, voisitko vastata nopeammin? Both are polite. In Finnish, kiitos often serves as “please.”
How do I make it formal/polite to one person (or to a group)?
Use the polite plural (teitittely):
- Voisitteko vastata nopeammin? In very formal writing, you may see the pronoun capitalized (Te), but that’s optional and context-dependent.
Are there colloquial/spoken variants?
Yes, in casual speech/writing you might see:
- Voisit sä vastata nopeemmin? or Voisitsä vastata nopeemmin? (using colloquial sä for sinä, and nopeemmin for nopeammin) Standard Finnish keeps voisitko … nopeammin.
Can the question clitic -ko/-kö attach to another word?
Yes, for emphasis or different focus:
- Nopeamminko voisit vastata? (“Is it faster that you could answer?”) — emphasizes “faster.” Default and most neutral is attaching -ko to the verb and placing it first: Voisitko …?
How would I say “Couldn’t you answer faster?” (more pressure/annoyed)?
- Etkö voisi vastata nopeammin? Using a negative question adds impatience or frustration.
Does vastata take an object? How do I say “answer me / answer the email”?
Vastata is intransitive; it uses case-marked complements:
- Answer me: vastata minulle (allative “to me”)
- Answer the question: vastata kysymykseen (illative “into the question”)
- Answer the email: vastata sähköpostiin (illative “into the email”) Example: Voisitko vastata sähköpostiin nopeammin?
Is the word order fixed? Can I move nopeammin?
Word order is fairly flexible, but the neutral, natural order here is:
- Voisitko vastata nopeammin? You can front the adverb for emphasis: Nopeammin voisitko vastata?, but that sounds marked/less neutral.
How would I make it even softer/more tentative?
You can add softeners like hieman/vähän or a polite framing:
- Voisitko vastata hieman nopeammin?
- Olisitko ystävällinen ja vastaisitko nopeammin?
- Voisitko mahdollisesti vastata nopeammin?
What’s the pronunciation stress and rhythm?
- Primary stress is on the first syllable of each word: VOI-sit-ko VAS-ta-ta NO-pe-am-min
- Every syllable is pronounced clearly; double consonants like mm are long: no-pe-am-min with a long [mː].