Questions & Answers about Hän tapaa heidät kahvilassa.
Why is the word for them translated as heidät instead of just he?
Because they are the object of the sentence (the people being met). In Finnish, personal pronouns take a special accusative form when they are the direct object of an action. The subject pronoun he (they) becomes the object pronoun heidät (them).
If the object of a sentence usually ends in -n, why does heidät end in -t?
Personal pronouns are an exception to the normal object rules! While a regular noun object might end in -n, personal pronouns have their own special object forms that always end in -t, such as minut (me), sinut (you), and heidät (them).
The dictionary form of the verb to meet is tavata. Why does it change to tapaa here?
Tavata is a Type 4 verb, which means it undergoes reverse consonant gradation when conjugated. The weak consonant v in the dictionary form strengthens to a p in the conjugated forms, making it hän tapaa (he/she meets).
What does the -ssa ending on kahvilassa mean?
The -ssa ending is the Finnish equivalent of saying in or inside. By attaching it to the base word kahvila (cafe), you get kahvilassa, which means in the cafe.
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