Questions & Answers about Riitelemme usein foorumista.
Why is about the forum translated using the elative case (foorumista) instead of something else?
In Finnish, verbs related to talking, thinking, and expressing opinions, like riidellä (to argue), govern the elative case (-sta/-stä) for the topic being discussed. You can think of it as the argument arising out of the forum.
The dictionary form of the verb is riidellä. Why does it change to riitelemme with a t here?
Riidellä is a Type 3 verb, which means it undergoes reverse consonant gradation. The infinitive has the weak consonant grade (d), but when you conjugate it, the stem takes the strong grade (t).
How do we get the -e- in the middle of riitelemme?
For Type 3 verbs ending in -lla/-llä, you drop the final -la/-lä and add an -e- to form the stem. Combined with the consonant change from d to t, the stem of riidellä becomes riitele-, to which we add the -mme ending.
Could riidellä also be used if we were physically fighting about the forum?
No, riidellä strictly means a verbal argument or quarrel because it comes from the noun riita, meaning a dispute. If the argument escalated into a physical fight, you would use the verb tapella.
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