En tiedä, miksi uudessa matossa on iso tahra.

Questions & Answers about En tiedä, miksi uudessa matossa on iso tahra.

How does the indirect question word miksi affect the word order in the second half of the sentence?
It actually doesn't change it! In Finnish, an indirect question clause keeps the exact same word order as a normal statement. The question word miksi (why) simply links the two halves of the sentence together. The second half remains a standard statement.
Why does the sentence translate to "there is a big stain" when there is no Finnish word for "there"?
Finnish doesn't use a filler word like "there" for "there is" or "there are" sentences. Instead, it uses an existential sentence structure: it starts with the location (uudessa matossa), puts the verb in the middle (on), and ends with the new information or thing that is there (iso tahra).
Why does the word uusi (new) change to uudessa here?
In Finnish, adjectives have to agree with the noun they describe. Because the noun is in the inessive case (matossa, meaning "in the rug"), the adjective uusi must also take the -ssa ending. The stem of uusi is uude-, making it uudessa.
Why does matto (rug) lose a "t" to become matossa?
This is a great time for a quick refresher on consonant gradation. Adding the -ssa ending closes the final syllable of the word. This forces the strong double tt in the basic word matto to weaken into a single t in matossa.

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