Breakdown of Me työskentelemme tänään pareittain.
me
we
tänään
today
työskennellä
to work
pareittain
in pairs
Questions & Answers about Me työskentelemme tänään pareittain.
How is the word pareittain formed from pari (pair)?
The distributive suffix -ittain (or -ittäin) is attached to the plural stem of a noun. For pari, the plural stem is parei-, and adding the suffix gives us pareittain.
What exactly does the suffix -ittain mean here?
It turns a noun into an adverb that describes how something is distributed or grouped, usually translating to 'by [noun]' or 'in [noun]s'. Here it changes pari (pair) into pareittain (in pairs).
Could I just use the inessive plural pareissa to mean 'in pairs'?
Not naturally in this context. While pareissa literally means 'inside the pairs', Finnish uses the distributive -ittain suffix to describe the manner in which an action is performed, like working 'in groups of two'.
Why does the verb työskennellä (to work) change to työskentelemme here?
Työskennellä is a Type 3 verb. When conjugating it, the nn changes to nt due to consonant gradation, and you add an e before the personal ending. This gives the stem työskentele- plus the me ending -mme.