Questions & Answers about Mihin sinä pakkaat tuon vanhan kengän?
Why use mihin here instead of missä if the English translation just says "Where"?
In English, "where" can mean both a fixed location and a destination. In Finnish, verbs about putting or moving things require a destination case. Because packing moves an object into a place, we use the illative question word mihin (into where) rather than the location word missä (in where).
Why does the verb pakkaat have a double 'k' when the dictionary form is pakata?
Pakata (to pack) is a Type 4 verb. These verbs go through reverse consonant gradation. This means the weak consonant (a single 'k') in the dictionary form becomes a strong consonant (a double 'kk') when you conjugate it for a person, like in pakkaat (you pack).
Why do the words tuo, vanha, and kenkä all end in '-n' in this sentence?
They form the object of the sentence, which is the thing being packed. When you do a complete action to an object, it usually gets the '-n' ending, which is known as the accusative case. Notice how the describing words tuon (that) and vanhan (old) must match the ending of the main noun kengän (shoe).
What happened to the spelling of kenkä (shoe) when it became kengän?