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Definition 2024


-ko

-ko

See also: -kö, ko, and Appendix:Variations of "ko"

Finnish

Particle

-ko (front vowel harmony variant -kö)

  1. (enclitic) Turns a clause interrogative. It is appended to the element of the clause that is questioned most. English equivalents include the normal ways of forming an interrogative statement without using an interrogative pronoun, such as the verb "do", inversion of the word order and intonation.
    Onko hän täällä? (on > + -ko)
    Is s/he here?
    Täällä hän on? (täällä + -kö)
    Is s/he here?
    Tuleeko hän laivalla? (tulee > + -ko)
    Is she coming by the ship?
    Millä sitten - veneellä? (veneellä + -kö)
    By what, then - on the boat?
    Näkee hän? (näkee > + -kö)
    Does s/he see?
    Pitäisi hänen tulla tänne? (pitäisi > + -kö)
    Should s/he come here?
  2. (enclitic) In indirect questions, -ko/-kö appended to the verb corresponds the conjunctions if and whether in English.
    En tiedä, tuleeko hän.
    I don't know if she comes.
    En tiedä, näkee hän.
    I don't know if she sees.
  3. (enclitic) With the particle -han/-hän, expresses "I wonder if".
    Pukeutuikohan hän tarpeeksi lämpimästi tänä aamuna?
    I wonder if he put enough clothes on this morning.
    Menihän hän kouluun tänä aamuna?
    I wonder if he went to school this morning.
  4. (enclitic) With the negation verb (en, et, ei, emme, ette, eivät) and the particle -han|-hän, expresses "I suppose".
    Emmehän me jotenkuten tule toimeen.
    I suppose we'll get by somehow.

Usage notes

  • (interrogative particle) The particle -ko/-kö is used when there is no other interrogative word, in both direct and indirect questions. The answer is expected to be simply affirmative or negative.
  • (I wonder if) Note that, unlike in English, the sentence meaning "I wonder if" is an interrogative sentence in Finnish, so it ends with a question mark.
  • In Colloquial Finnish, "-ks" is used in place of "-ko/-kö".

See also


Particle

-kö (in words that include front vowels ä, ö, y or the vowels i or e alone)

Hadza

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ko/

Suffix

-ko

  1. a feminine suffix

Lower Sorbian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *-ъko.

Suffix

-ko

  1. added to neuter nouns to form a diminutive

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Lower_Sorbian_words_suffixed_with_-ko'>Lower Sorbian words suffixed with -ko</a>

Polish

Suffix

-ko n

  1. Diminutive suffix for neuter nouns

Declension

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Polish_words_suffixed_with_-ko'>Polish words suffixed with -ko</a>

Serbo-Croatian

Suffix

-ko (Cyrillic spelling -ко)

  1. Suffix appended to words to create a masculine noun, usually denoting a negative feature.

Slovak

Suffix

-ko n

  1. Diminutive suffix for neuter nouns

Declension

Derived terms

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Slovak_words_suffixed_with_-ko'>Slovak words suffixed with -ko</a>