Questions & Answers about Me kerroimme salaisuuden.
How does the verb kertoa change to become kerroimme?
kertoa (to tell) is a Type 1 verb with the basic stem kerto-. When we add the personal ending -mme (we), it closes the syllable. This triggers consonant gradation, changing the strong rt to the weak rr to make the weak stem kerro-. Finally, we add the past tense marker -i- and the ending -mme to get kerroimme.
Does the past tense -i- replace the final vowel in the stem kerro-?
No, it doesn't. For Type 1 verbs where the stem ends in -o or -ö (as well as -u or -y), the past tense -i- doesn't replace the final vowel. It just slides right in next to it. That's why kerro- + -i- + -mme becomes kerroimme.
Why does the object salaisuuden end in -n?
It is in the accusative case (which looks exactly like the genitive case for singular nouns). In Finnish, when an action is fully completed and affects the whole object, a singular object takes this -n ending. Here, it shows that we told the entire secret. If the sentence were negative (we didn't tell a secret), we would use the partitive case (salaisuutta).
What is the base form of salaisuuden, and why does it have a d in this sentence?
The basic dictionary form is salaisuus (secret). Nouns ending in -uus or -yys usually change their ending to -uude- or -yyde- when you need to attach a grammatical ending. So, the stem of salaisuus becomes salaisuude- before we add the -n object marker.
Learn Me kerroimme salaisuuden and more in Finnish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free