Questions & Answers about Piilotitko päiväkirjasi?
Why are there no words for "you" or "your" in this sentence?
In Finnish, 1st and 2nd person pronouns can usually be dropped because the endings already give us that information. The verb ending -t in piilotitko tells us "you" did the action, and the possessive suffix -si in päiväkirjasi tells us it is "your" diary. You do not need to add the standalone words sinä or sinun.
What case is päiväkirjasi in, and why isn't there an -n before the suffix?
It is the total object of the verb, so you would normally expect the accusative ending -n (making it päiväkirjan). However, a major rule in Finnish is that possessive suffixes overwrite and remove the -n ending. So, päiväkirjan plus -si simply becomes päiväkirjasi.
How exactly is the verb piilotitko built?
It starts with the verb piilottaa (to hide). You form the past tense for "you" by taking the stem, adding the past tense marker -i-, and the 2nd person singular ending -t, giving you piilotit (you hid). Finally, you attach the question particle -ko to turn it into a yes/no question.
Why does the dictionary form piilottaa have a double T, but piilotitko only has one?
This happens because of consonant gradation. The personal ending -t closes the final syllable of the verb, which forces the strong grade -tt- to weaken to a single -t-. The question particle -ko is just tacked on to the end after this change has already happened.
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