Breakdown of Pieni tyttö alkaa itkeä, kun hänen jäätelönsä putoaa maahan.
kun
when
alkaa
to start
pudota
to fall
tyttö
the girl
Questions & Answers about Pieni tyttö alkaa itkeä, kun hänen jäätelönsä putoaa maahan.
Why is it pieni tyttö and not some other form like pienen tytön?
Because pieni tyttö is the subject of the sentence, so both words are in the basic dictionary form, the nominative.
- pieni = small, little
- tyttö = girl
So pieni tyttö means a small/little girl or the little girl, depending on context.
If it were pienen tytön, that would be a different case, for example showing possession or being the object of some expressions.
What does alkaa itkeä mean exactly?
alkaa means to begin / to start, and itkeä means to cry.
Together, alkaa itkeä means starts to cry or begins crying.
This is a very common Finnish structure:
- alkaa + infinitive
For example:
- Alan lukea. = I start reading.
- Lapsi alkaa nauraa. = The child starts to laugh.
Why is it itkeä after alkaa?