Opettaja kuuntelee vastausta tarkasti.

The teacher listens to the answer carefully.

Breakdown of Opettaja kuuntelee vastausta tarkasti.

• vastaus: the answer
• kuunnella: to listen
• opettaja: the teacher
• tarkasti: closely

Questions & Answers about Opettaja kuuntelee vastausta tarkasti.

What does each word in Opettaja kuuntelee vastausta tarkasti mean literally?

• opettaja = teacher (subject, in the basic nominative form)
• kuuntelee = (he/she) listens / is listening
• vastausta = (to) an answer / the answer (object in the partitive case)
• tarkasti = carefully / attentively (adverb)

So the structure is: teacher – listens – (to) answer – carefully.

Why is it kuuntelee and not kuuntele or kuuntelen?

Kuuntelee is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb kuunnella (to listen).

Verb endings in the present tense are:

• minä kuuntelen – I listen
• sinä kuuntelet – you listen
• hän / se kuuntelee – he / she / it listens
• me kuuntelemme – we listen
• te kuuntelette – you (pl./formal) listen
• he ne kuuntelevat – they listen

Because the subject is opettaja (teacher = he/she), you must use the hän-form: kuuntelee.

Why is the verb’s dictionary form kuunnella, but here it is kuuntelee?

The basic (infinitive) form is kuunnella. When conjugated, the stem changes slightly:

• infinitive: kuunnella
• stem for present tense: kuuntele-
• • personal ending for hän: -e → kuuntelee

So: kuunnella → kuuntele- + e → kuuntelee.

This kind of stem change is a normal irregularity in some Finnish verbs. You just have to learn that kuunnella becomes kuuntele- in the present tense.

Why is vastausta in the partitive (-a) and not vastaus or vastauksen?

Vastausta is the partitive singular of vastaus (answer).

Finnish often puts the object in the partitive when:

• the action is ongoing / incomplete, or
• only part of something is involved, or
• the sentence is neutral about whether the action is completed.

Kuunnella (to listen) normally takes a partitive object, because listening is seen as an ongoing process, not something that has a clear “completed whole” in the same way as, for example, “eat” or “write”.

So:

• Opettaja kuuntelee vastausta.
  = The teacher is (in the process of) listening to the answer.

If you used vastauksen (genitive object):

• Opettaja kuuntelee vastauksen.
  This would suggest listening to the whole answer from beginning to end as a completed event. It’s grammatically possible, but much less common and feels more “bounded” and specific.

How is vastaus → vastausta formed? What is going on with the ending?

Vastaus (answer) is a noun. To form the partitive singular, you:

1. Take the stem: vastaus → vastau-
2. Add the partitive ending -ta / -tä: vastau- + ta → vastausta

The choice between -ta and -tä depends on vowel harmony; here a matches the back vowels in vastaus.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” before opettaja or vastausta?

Finnish has no articles like English a / an / the.

• opettaja can mean a teacher or the teacher, depending on context.
• vastausta can mean an answer or the answer, again depending on context.

Definiteness (whether we’re talking about a specific known thing or just some thing) is understood from context, word order, and other cues, not from a separate word like “the”.

Does kuuntelee mean “listens” or “is listening”? Which English tense is it?

Finnish has only one present tense, and it covers both:

• Opettaja kuuntelee vastausta.
  = The teacher listens to the answer.
  = The teacher is listening to the answer.

Which English tense you choose depends on the context, but in Finnish the same form kuuntelee is used for both simple and continuous present.

What is the difference between kuunnella and kuulla?

• kuunnella = to listen (actively)
• kuulla = to hear (passively)

Examples:

• Opettaja kuuntelee vastausta.
  The teacher is listening to the answer (actively paying attention).

• Opettaja kuulee vastauksen.
  The teacher hears the answer (the sound reaches their ears; no emphasis on active listening).

In this sentence, kuuntelee is correct because we want to express careful, intentional listening.

What form is tarkasti, and how is it related to tarkka?

• tarkka is an adjective: careful, precise.
• tarkasti is the adverb: carefully, precisely.

Finnish often forms adverbs from adjectives by adding -sti:

• hidas (slow) → hitaasti (slowly)
• nopea (fast) → nopeasti (quickly)
• tarkka (careful) → tarkasti (carefully)

So tarkasti modifies the verb kuuntelee, describing how the teacher listens.

Can the word order change? For example, is Opettaja tarkasti kuuntelee vastausta possible?

Yes, Finnish word order is relatively flexible. The neutral word order here is:

• Opettaja kuuntelee vastausta tarkasti.
  (Subject – Verb – Object – Adverb)

You can move elements for emphasis:

• Opettaja tarkasti kuuntelee vastausta.
  Emphasizes tarkasti (carefully) a bit more; still understandable and correct.

• Vastausta opettaja kuuntelee tarkasti.
  Brings vastausta (the answer) into focus, as if contrasting it with something else (e.g. not the question, but the answer).

However, the original order is the most neutral and typical in a simple, context-free sentence.

How would this sentence change if there were several teachers listening?

If the subject is plural (teachers), you change both the noun and the verb:

• Opettajat kuuntelevat vastausta tarkasti.
  = The teachers listen / are listening carefully to the answer.

Changes:

• opettaja → opettajat (plural nominative)
• kuuntelee → kuuntelevat (3rd person plural present of kuunnella)

What case is opettaja in? It looks like the basic form with no ending.

Opettaja is in the nominative singular, which is the basic dictionary form of most nouns.

The subject of a simple, affirmative sentence is usually in the nominative case:

• Opettaja kuuntelee… – The teacher listens…
• Oppilas vastaa. – The student answers.

So even though there is no visible ending, it’s considered a case form: nominative.

How would I say “The teacher listens to the student” instead of “the answer”?

You would change the object:

• Opettaja kuuntelee oppilasta tarkasti.
  = The teacher listens carefully to the student.

Here, oppilasta is the partitive singular of oppilas (student), again because kuunnella typically takes a partitive object.