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Questions & Answers about Mittaan ikkunan mittanauhalla.
Why does mittanauhalla have the -lla ending here?
The adessive case (-lla/-llä) is used to show the tool or instrument used to perform an action. While it often means "on" or "at" a place, in this context it translates to "with" a measuring tape. Finnish doesn't use a separate preposition for "with" when talking about tools.
The dictionary form of the verb is mitata. Why is it spelled with a double tt in mittaan?
Mitata is a Type 4 verb (ending in -ta/-tä). These verbs undergo "reverse consonant gradation", meaning they have a weak consonant grade in their basic infinitive form (a single t) but change to a strong consonant grade (a double tt) when conjugated into personal forms like mittaan.
Why is the object ikkunan in the genitive-like accusative case instead of the partitive case (ikkunaa)?
In Finnish, the object takes the -n ending when an affirmative action is viewed as complete, or when it covers the whole object. Here, the implication is that you will measure the entire window. If you were just in the middle of measuring it, or only measuring part of it, you would use the partitive case (ikkunaa).
Where is the word for "I" in this sentence?
The word for "I" (minä) is optional and often dropped in standard Finnish. The -n ending on the verb mittaan already clearly tells us that "I" am the one doing the measuring.