Questions & Answers about Matkustamme saarelle lautalla.
How does the -lla ending in lautalla translate to "by ferry"?
In Finnish, you do not use a separate word like "by" or "with" for transportation and tools. Instead, you use the Adessive case. Attaching the -lla or -llä ending to a vehicle expresses that it is the means of transport you are using.
What happened to the double tt from the dictionary word lautta?
Adding the -lla ending closes the final syllable, making it end in a consonant. This triggers consonant gradation, which weakens the strong double tt in lautta into a single t in lautalla.
Why do we use the -lle ending (onto) for saarelle instead of an "into" case?
In Finnish, islands typically take the outer location cases rather than the inner "in/into" cases. You travel "onto" an island (saarelle) and spend your vacation "on" the island (saarella).
The basic word for island is saari. Why does the ending change to -re- here?
Saari belongs to a group of older Finnish words ending in -i. Before attaching most case endings, this final -i changes to an -e-. This creates the stem saare-, to which we then add the -lle ending.
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