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Questions & Answers about Poika istuu pöydässä.
Why is it pöydässä with a d when the dictionary word for table is pöytä with a t?
This is consonant gradation in action! When we add the ending -ssä, it closes the syllable (makes it end in a consonant). This forces the strong consonant t in pöytä to soften into the weak consonant d, giving us pöydässä.
Why does the ending have dots (-ssä) instead of just being -ssa?
This is due to vowel harmony. The word pöytä contains the front vowels ö and y. Because of this, we must use the front-vowel version of the ending (-ssä) so the word is easy and harmonious to pronounce.
Doesn't the -ssä ending usually mean inside something? Why does this translate to sitting at the table?
You are exactly right that the inessive ending -ssä normally means in or inside. However, sitting at a table to eat or work is a special set phrase in Finnish. Finns literally say they are sitting in the table (pöydässä).
How does the verb istua (to sit) become istuu in this sentence?