Questions & Answers about Lakatkaa tappelemasta ja siivotkaa huone!
Why is "fighting" translated as tappelemasta here?
This sentence uses the verb lakata (to stop/cease), which requires the following verb to be in the 3rd infinitive elative form (-masta / -mästä). In Finnish, stopping an action is grammatically thought of as stepping "out of" it.
Why does tappelemasta have two 'p's when the dictionary form tapella only has one?
Tapella is a type 3 verb that undergoes reverse consonant gradation. Its dictionary form is in the "weak" grade (one p), but its conjugated stem is in the "strong" grade (two ps). The 3rd infinitive is built on this strong stem: tappele- + -masta.
What form are the verbs lakatkaa and siivotkaa in?
They are in the second-person plural imperative form, meaning this is a direct command given to more than one person (or formally to one person). Both lakata and siivota are type 4 verbs, so you form this plural command by replacing the basic -ta ending with -tkaa.
Why is the object huone not in the -n accusative form (huoneen)?
It is the total object of the sentence, but because the verb is a 1st or 2nd person imperative (a command), a special rule applies: the object drops the -n ending and takes a form that looks exactly like the basic dictionary form.