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Questions & Answers about Masto putosi kannelle.
In English we might say the mast fell 'on' the deck. Why does Finnish use the allative case kannelle (onto the deck)?
While the verbs of leaving and forgetting in this lesson might feel like exceptions, pudota (to fall) follows the regular Finnish logic for movement. If an action results in an object moving to a new location, you must use a destination case. Because a deck is an open surface, we use the allative -lle (onto), even if English often uses the static word 'on'.
What is the dictionary form of putosi, and why does the stem change so much?
The dictionary form is pudota (to fall), which is a type 4 verb. When forming the stem, the weak consonant d strengthens to t. Then, to form the past tense (imperfekti), the stem's t changes to s before the past tense marker i, resulting in putosi.
How do we get the form kannelle from the basic word kansi (deck)?
Old Finnish words ending in -si change their ending to -te- to form the stem (similar to how vesi becomes vete-). When you add the allative ending -lle, it closes the syllable. This triggers consonant gradation, causing the strong nt combination to weaken to nn, giving us kannelle.