Breakdown of Lentäjä sanoo tutkan toimivan hyvin.
sanoa
to say
hyvin
well
toimia
to function, to work / to act
lentäjä
pilot
tutka
radar
Questions & Answers about Lentäjä sanoo tutkan toimivan hyvin.
Why does this sentence use toimivan instead of just saying että tutka toimii?
Both mean exactly the same thing! The phrase tutkan toimivan uses the present active referative construction (sometimes called the participle construction or partisiippirakenne). It is a concise, slightly more formal way to replace an että (that) clause.
Why is the word for radar in the genitive case (tutkan)?
In the referative construction, the subject of the replaced että clause (the thing doing the action) gets put into the genitive case. Since the radar is the thing working, tutka becomes tutkan.
How is the word toimivan formed?
First, you find the strong stem of the verb toimia (to work/function), which is toimi-. Then, you add the present active participle ending -va. Finally, you must add an -n at the end. This final -n is required to lock in the referative construction.
Can I replace the main verb sanoo with any other verb and still use this structure?
Not just any verb! This structure only works with verbs related to saying, thinking, or perceiving. Because the main verb is sanoo (says), the construction works perfectly. Other common verbs that trigger this are nähdä (to see), kuulla (to hear), and luulla (to think/suppose).
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