Questions & Answers about Pomo sanoi, että minun on näytettävä tämä todistus.
Why is 'I' translated as the genitive minun instead of minä here?
This sentence uses a special structure to express obligation ('must' or 'have to'). In this structure, the person who has to do something is put in the genitive case (minun), followed by the verb on (always in the 3rd person singular), and then the action word.
What verb form is näytettävä, and how is it made?
It is the passive present participle of näyttää (to show), which translates as 'must be shown' in this context. To form it, you take the passive stem (näytetään -> näytet-) and add the participle ending -tävä (or -tava depending on vowel harmony). Together with minun on, it creates the meaning 'I have to show'.
Why is the object tämä todistus in its basic form (nominative) and not tämän todistuksen?
This is a crucial rule for obligation sentences! When you use necessity structures like minun on näytettävä or minun täytyy näyttää, the object is never in the genitive-looking accusative. Because you must show the whole certificate, it takes the basic nominative form, tämä todistus.
The first verb sanoi is in the past tense. Why does the second part use the present tense on instead of the past tense oli?