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Questions & Answers about Professori suunnitteli paljon.
How does the past tense marker -i- work in this Verb Type 3 word?
For Type 3 verbs, the past tense is formed by adding the past marker -i- between the consonant stem (the word without its infinitive ending, like -la) and the personal ending. Because this is the 3rd person singular ('he/she/it'), there is a 'zero ending' after the -i-, meaning no extra letters are added, leaving us with suunnitteli.
Why does the past tense suunnitteli have a double tt when the dictionary form suunnitella only has one t?
Verb Type 3 undergoes 'reverse' consonant gradation. The dictionary form (suunnitella) is in the weak grade. When conjugating it into most active forms, including the past tense, the consonant strengthens. Here, the single t in the stem grades into a strong double tt.
In the present tense, the 3rd person singular is suunnittelee (the last vowel is doubled). Why is there only one -i at the end of suunnitteli?
In the present tense, the 3rd person singular ending is formed by lengthening the stem's final vowel (giving us the double ee). However, in the past tense, the 3rd person singular never lengthens the past tense marker -i. It simply stays as a single -i.
Why do we use paljon here instead of a word like moni for 'a lot'?