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Kirjastonhoitaja soitti minulle kysyäkseen, haluanko noutaa kirjan vai lukea e-kirjan.

Kirjastonhoitaja soitti minulle kysyäkseen, haluanko noutaa kirjan vai lukea e-kirjan.
The librarian called me to ask whether I want to pick up the book or read the e-book.
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Questions & Answers about Kirjastonhoitaja soitti minulle kysyäkseen, haluanko noutaa kirjan vai lukea e-kirjan.

What does kirjastonhoitaja mean, and why is it one long word?

Kirjastonhoitaja means librarian. Finnish often forms compounds by combining words into one:

  • kirjasto = library
  • hoitaja = caretaker/attendant Together: kirjastonhoitaja = “library attendant” → librarian.

You also see an extra -n- in the middle: kirjasto + n + hoitaja. That -n is the genitive marker used in many compounds, roughly like library’s attendant.

Why is it soitti minulle and not soitti minut or soitti minua?

Because the verb soittaa (to call / to ring) uses the pattern soittaa jollekin = “call someone” (literally: ring to someone).

  • minulle is the allative case (ending -lle) meaning to me.

So:

  • Hän soitti minulle. = He/She called me. Notably, Finnish doesn’t treat “me” here as a direct object.
What tense is soitti, and how is it formed?

soitti is simple past (Finnish imperfect): “(he/she) called”. It comes from soittaa:

  • soitta-
    • past marker -i-
      • 3rd person ending (often zero) → soitti

Other forms:

  • minä soitin = I called
  • sinä soitit = you called
  • hän soitti = he/she called
What exactly is kysyäkseen, and why doesn’t it look like a normal verb form?

kysyäkseen means in order to ask / to ask (as a purpose).

It’s built from the verb kysyä (to ask) using a purpose structure:

  • kysyä → 3rd infinitive stem kysyä- → kysyä + kse- + en More usefully to learn: it’s the purpose form = “to (do) in order to …”, and it includes a possessive ending that matches the subject:
  • kysyäkseen = “for him/her to ask” (subject is kirjastonhoitaja)
  • kysyäkseni = “for me to ask”
  • kysyäksesi = “for you to ask”
Why is there a comma after kysyäkseen?

Because what follows is an indirect question (a subordinate clause):
…, haluanko noutaa kirjan vai lukea e-kirjan. = “… whether I want to …”

Finnish commonly uses a comma before subordinate clauses, especially ones introduced by question structures like this.

What does haluanko mean grammatically, and what is -ko/-kö?

haluanko = do I want? (used inside an indirect question here).

It combines:

  • haluan = “I want” (verb haluta, 1st person singular ending -n)
  • question clitic -ko/-kö = makes it a yes/no question

So:

  • haluan = I want
  • haluanko = do I want?

The choice -ko vs -kö follows vowel harmony (front vowels → -kö).

Why are noutaa and lukea in this form?

They are in the basic infinitive (often called the 1st infinitive):

  • noutaa = “to pick up”
  • lukea = “to read”

After haluta (“to want”), Finnish typically uses this infinitive:

  • Haluan noutaa kirjan. = “I want to pick up the book.”
  • Haluan lukea e-kirjan. = “I want to read the e-book.”
Why is it kirjan and e-kirjan (ending -n)? Isn’t that genitive?

Yes, it looks like genitive, but in this context it’s the common total object form (often called accusative in Finnish grammar, though it frequently matches the genitive -n form).

Using kirjan / e-kirjan suggests a complete, bounded action:

  • noutaa kirjan = pick up the (whole) book
  • lukea e-kirjan = read the e-book (as a complete item)

If you used the partitive (kirjaa / e-kirjaa), it would often suggest an ongoing/partial action, e.g. “read some of the book / be reading the book.”

Why is it vai and not tai?

vai is used when presenting exclusive alternatives in a question: A or B?

  • Haluatko kahvia vai teetä? = “Do you want coffee or tea?”

tai is more like or in statements, or when the alternatives aren’t set up as a direct choice question.

Here, because the librarian is asking which option you want, vai fits.

Why is it written e-kirjan with a hyphen, and how do endings attach?

Finnish often uses a hyphen with e- compounds:

  • e-kirja = e-book When you add a case ending, it attaches to the whole compound:
  • e-kirja (nominative)
  • e-kirjan (total object form)
  • e-kirjassa (in the e-book)
  • e-kirjalle (onto/to the e-book), etc.

The hyphen keeps the structure clear and is standard in Finnish spelling for this kind of prefix.