(transitive, auxiliary, + 1st infinitive/+ illative of 3rd infinitive) tobegin (to do something), start (doing something)Fin:Hän alkoi itkeä.Eng:He started to cry.Fin:Hän alkaa olla väsynyt.Eng:She starts to get tired.(intransitive) toinitiate, setin, beinitiated, originate, beoriginated, takeitsoriginFin:Tulevaisuus alkaa tänään.Eng:The future begins today.Fin:Polku alkaa tästä.Eng:The trail starts here.Show more Historically, the verb collocation depended on geography: alkaatehdä (alkaa + infinitive) was dominant in Eastern dialects and alkaatekemään (alkaa + illative of third infinitive) in Western dialects. However, as Finnish went through several reforms in the 1800s with the goal of including Eastern characteristics in the then-Western-dominated standard language, alkaa + infinitive became standard. The Western usage persisted in colloquial contexts and by late 1900s became increasingly equal with the Eastern one. Eventually in February 2014, the Institute for the Languages of Finland formally accepted both forms.Show more NounsalkuShow more From Proto-Finnic alkadak, from Proto-Uralic alka- (“beginning”). Cognates include Mansi о̄вл (ōvl, “head”), Estonian algama.Show more Press Esc to closeSource:
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