Kyselymuoto

Kyselymuoto refers to a grammatical construction in Finnish that is used to form questions. It is characterized by a specific word order and the use of question particles or verb conjugations that signal interrogative intent.

In Finnish, questions are typically formed by placing the verb at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the subject. For example, the declarative sentence "Hän nukkuu" (He/She sleeps) becomes "Nukkuuko hän?" (Does he/she sleep?) when a question particle is added to the verb. This particle, "ko" or "kö" depending on vowel harmony, is attached to the verb and indicates that the sentence is a question.

Another common way to form questions, particularly in spoken Finnish, involves using the interrogative pronoun or adverb at the beginning of the sentence. Words like "kuka" (who), "mikä" (what), "missä" (where), "milloin" (when), and "miksi" (why) inherently signal a question. In these cases, the verb often follows the interrogative word, and the subject may come later. For instance, "Mikä on sinun nimesi?" (What is your name?).

The presence of a question mark at the end of the sentence is also a crucial indicator of kyselymuoto in written Finnish, though in spoken language, the intonation of the voice serves this purpose. The specific rules of vowel harmony and consonant gradation in Finnish also influence the form of the verb and particles used in questions. Understanding kyselymuoto is fundamental to both comprehending and constructing questions in the Finnish language.