Questions & Answers about Pieni kissa hyppää puuhun.
How do we get the ending for puuhun?
This uses the illative case being taught in this lesson, meaning 'into' or 'to'. The base word is puu (tree). Because it ends in a long vowel (two of the same vowels), the rule is to add -h, then repeat that last vowel, then add -n (this is the -hVn ending). So puu + h + u + n becomes puuhun (into the tree).
The dictionary form of the verb is hypätä (to jump). Why is it spelled hyppää here?
This is the 'he/she/it' form (3rd person singular) of a Type 4 verb. When we conjugate it, the single p strengthens into a double pp (this is called consonant gradation). Then, the ending for 'it jumps' doubles the final vowel of the stem, giving us hyppää.
Why don't we put pieni kissa in the illative case too?
The illative case only marks the destination of the movement. The small cat is the one doing the action, so pieni kissa is the subject and stays in the basic dictionary form (the nominative case). Only the destination (puuhun) takes the illative ending.
Does the illative case always mean 'into'?
It often means 'into', but it is also used for movement 'to' a place. While we translate it as 'into the tree' here because cats climb inside the branches, puuhun is the exact same form you would use if you were just walking 'to the tree'.
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