Questions & Answers about Lakkaa tuijottamasta minua!
Why does the word for staring end in -masta instead of being a regular infinitive?
The verb lakata (to stop) requires the action you are stopping to be in the 3rd infinitive elative form, which ends in -masta or -mästä. Verbs that express stopping or preventing an action usually take this form, so you are literally saying stop from staring.
What form of the verb is lakkaa in this sentence?
It is the imperative or command form for a singular you. It comes from the type 4 verb lakata. To make this command form, you take the standard present tense I form of the verb, which is lakkaan, and drop the -n.
Why is the pronoun for me in the partitive case (minua) rather than the accusative?
The case of the object depends on the verb acting directly upon it, which here is tuijottaa (to stare). Because staring is an ongoing, continuous action without a fixed endpoint, it requires its object to be in the partitive case.
Could I use the other common verb for stopping, lopettaa, in this sentence?
You could, but the grammar would completely change. The verb lopettaa is followed by a verbal noun ending in -minen, giving us Lopeta tuijottaminen!. In contrast, lakata always takes the -masta verb form we see here.
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