Questions & Answers about Nuo kirjat ovat kaapissa.
Why is it kaapissa with one 'p' when the word for closet is kaappi with two?
This is because of consonant gradation. When we add an ending like the inessive -ssa (in) to a word, it closes the syllable and often triggers a change in the consonants. The double pp in kaappi simplifies to a single p, giving us kaapissa.
Why do we use nuo here instead of tuo?
In Finnish, demonstrative words like 'that' or 'this' have to match whether the noun they point to is singular or plural. Since kirjat (books) is plural, we must use the plural word nuo (those) instead of the singular tuo (that).
Is the -t at the end of kirjat what makes it plural?
Yes! In the basic subject form (the nominative case), adding a -t to the end of a word makes it plural. So kirja is 'book', and kirjat is 'books'.
I remember that -ssa and -ssä both mean 'in'. Why does kaapissa take the -ssa ending?
This is due to vowel harmony. The word kaappi contains the back vowel a, which dictates that we must use the back vowel version of the ending, -ssa. The i at the end of kaappi is a neutral vowel and doesn't change the harmony rule.
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