Questions & Answers about Me tapaamme puistossa tänään.
The dictionary form of 'to meet' is tavata. Why does it have a p in tapaamme?
Tavata is a Type 4 verb. Unlike Type 1 verbs, Type 4 verbs usually have a weak consonant in their dictionary form and change to a strong consonant when conjugated. Here, the weak v strengthens to p.
How exactly do we build the stem tapaa- from tavata before adding the -mme ending?
For Type 4 verbs (which end in a vowel + -ta or -tä), the rule is: drop the final -ta (leaving tava-), apply the strong consonant grade (v changes to p, making it tapa-), and then double the final vowel. That gives you the stem tapaa-.
The English translation says 'are meeting'. Is there a specific Finnish word for 'are' in this sentence?
No, there isn't. Finnish does not have a separate continuous tense (like 'am doing' or 'are meeting' in English). The single present tense word tapaamme translates to both 'we meet' and 'we are meeting' depending on the context.
As a quick refresher, why does puisto (park) have -ssa added to the end?
The -ssa ending is the Finnish equivalent of the English preposition 'in' or 'inside' (this is called the inessive case). So, puisto becomes puistossa to mean 'in the park'.