Breakdown of Isä on autotallissa korjaamassa autoa.
olla
to be
auto
car
isä
father
autotalli
garage
korjata
to fix
Questions & Answers about Isä on autotallissa korjaamassa autoa.
Why does the verb korjata (to fix) take the form korjaamassa here?
This is the third infinitive inessive form, which is the focus of this lesson. When combined with the verb olla (here as on), it describes an action that is currently ongoing. It translates perfectly to the English continuous form, 'is fixing'.
How do you form korjaamassa from the dictionary verb korjata?
korjata is a verb type 4. To make this form, you first find the strong verb stem, which is korjaa-. Then, you add the ending -massa (or -mässä, depending on vowel harmony). Since korjaa- has back vowels (o, a), it takes -massa.
Both autotallissa and korjaamassa end in -ssa. Is that a coincidence?
Not at all! The ending -ssa is the inessive case, meaning 'in'. autotallissa literally means 'in the garage'. The third infinitive -massa form is actually built using this exact same ending. In a literal sense, the sentence is saying father is in the garage 'in the act of' fixing the car.
Why is the car in the partitive case (autoa) instead of the basic form (auto)?
Because the action is ongoing and incomplete. The -massa form strongly emphasizes that he is currently in the middle of fixing the car. When an action is incomplete, the object receiving the action must take the partitive case.
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