alkaa

From Proto-Finnic *alkadak, from Proto-Uralic *alka- (“beginning”). Cognates include Mansi овл (ovl, “head”), Estonian algama.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑlkɑːˣ/, [ˈɑlkɑː(ʔ)]
• Hyphenation: al‧kaa

alkaa

1. (transitive, auxiliary, + infinitive/+ illative of 3rd infinitive) to begin (to do something), start (doing something)

   Hän alkoi itkeä.

   He started to cry.

   Hän alkaa olla väsynyt.

   She started to get tired.

2. (intransitive) to initiate, set in, be initiated, originate, be originated, take its origin

   Tulevaisuus alkaa tänään.

   The future begins today.

   Polku alkaa tästä.

   The trail starts here.

• Historically, the verb collocation depended on geography: alkaa tehdä (alkaa + infinitive) was dominant in Eastern dialects and alkaa tekemään (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.[1]

• nouns: alku

• aloittaa

• kalaa, laaka

From Proto-Finnic *alkadak.

alkaa (first-person singular present algan, first-person singular past alkõn)

1. to begin, to start

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

• "alkaa" in Vadja keele sõnaraamat