Breakdown of Tämä iso laukku ei mahdu takakonttiin.
tämä
this
iso
big
laukku
bag
ei
no / not (en, et, ei, emme, ette, eivät)
mahtua
to fit into
takakontti
the trunk
Questions & Answers about Tämä iso laukku ei mahdu takakonttiin.
Why does takakonttiin end with -iin?
This is the illative case, which means into. The base word is takakontti (trunk). To make the into form, you double the last vowel and add -n, giving us takakonttiin (into the trunk).
Do we always use the into form with the verb mahtua (to fit)?
Yes! In English, we might say a bag fits 'in' the trunk, but Finnish focuses on the end result of the movement. When you try to fit a bag somewhere, it is going into that space, so mahtua requires the illative case (mihin, where into).
Why is the verb mahdu instead of mahtuu?
Because it is a negative sentence. The positive 'it fits' is mahtuu. After the negative word ei, we use the negative form of the verb. Notice that the strong t also softens to a d here because of consonant gradation (mahtuu becomes ei mahdu).
Is takakontti a compound word?
Yes, it is made of taka (back or rear) and kontti (container). Together, they mean the trunk of a car.
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