Breakdown of Lapsi heittää kirjoja potkien ja huutaen.
kirja
book
ja
and
lapsi
child
huutaa
to shout
heittää
to throw
potkia
to kick
Questions & Answers about Lapsi heittää kirjoja potkien ja huutaen.
How do we form the words potkien and huutaen from their dictionary forms?
They are formed using the second infinitive instructive, which is the focus of this lesson. To make this form, you take the dictionary form of the verb (potkia, huutaa), replace the final -a or -ä with an -e-, and add the ending -n. This gives us potki + e + n (potkien) and huuta + e + n (huutaen).
What exactly does this -en ending do in the sentence?
It tells us the manner in which the main action is happening. In English, this translates well to a verb ending in '-ing'. Here, potkien and huutaen describe exactly how the child is throwing the books: by kicking and shouting at the same time.
Why is the object kirjoja in the partitive plural?
The partitive case is used because the action is ongoing and the number of books is undefined. The child is just throwing an unspecified amount of books around, rather than finishing the action of throwing a specific, complete pile of books.
Would it be correct to use the basic verb forms potkii and huutaa here instead?
Only if you change the sentence structure. You could say Lapsi heittää kirjoja, potkii ja huutaa (The child throws books, kicks and shouts). However, using the -en forms creates a more descriptive sentence by grouping the kicking and shouting as the specific background manner in which the throwing is being done.
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