Questions & Answers about Kuka on tämän laulun tekijä?
How is the word tekijä formed from the verb tehdä?
It comes from the verb tehdä (to make or do). To form the actor noun, we start with the strong verb stem teke-. The final -e changes to -i before the -jä suffix, similar to how it changes in the past tense (teki). So, teke- becomes teki- + -jä, resulting in tekijä (maker or creator).
Does tekijä always translate specifically to "creator"?
Not exactly. Because tehdä broadly means "to do" or "to make", tekijä literally means "doer" or "maker". Depending on the context, it translates to author, creator, perpetrator, or even a "factor" in a process.
Why does tekijä use the -jä suffix instead of -ja?
This is due to vowel harmony. The stem teki- contains the front vowel e and the neutral vowel i. Because there are no back vowels (a, o, or u) in the word, the suffix must also use a front vowel. Therefore, we use -jä.
Why is "this song" in the genitive case (tämän laulun)?