Breakdown of Lakkasin pureskelemasta kynsiäni eilen.
eilen
yesterday
lakata
to stop
kynsi
nail (fingernail, toenail)
pureskella
to chew
Questions & Answers about Lakkasin pureskelemasta kynsiäni eilen.
Why does pureskelemasta end in -masta instead of a basic infinitive?
This is due to the verb lakata (to stop). Verbs of cessation and prevention require the action you are stopping to be in the 3rd infinitive elative form (-masta or -mästä). Finnish grammar treats stopping an action as literally stepping 'out of' it.
How do you build the form pureskelemasta from the dictionary form pureskella?
You use the strong stem pureskele-, add the 3rd infinitive marker -ma-, and attach the elative ending -sta. A quick trick is to take the 'they' form (he pureskelevat), drop the -vat, and add -masta.
Why is the object kynsiäni (my nails) in the partitive case?
The verb pureskella (to chew) is a partitive verb because chewing is considered an ongoing, continuous action. Even though you stopped doing it, the object of the chewing action still takes the plural partitive (kynsiä), followed by the possessive suffix (-ni).
Could I use the verb lopettaa (to stop) in this sentence instead of lakata?
Yes, but the grammar rule changes. While lakata takes the -masta verb form, lopettaa requires a noun object. To use lopettaa, you would turn the chewing into a verbal noun (pureskeleminen), making the sentence Lopetin kynsieni pureskelemisen eilen.