Breakdown of Tuo vihainen mehiläinen taitaa pistää sinua.
tuo
that
sinä
you
vihainen
angry
taitaa
to seem to, probably (does)
mehiläinen
bee
pistää
to sting
Questions & Answers about Tuo vihainen mehiläinen taitaa pistää sinua.
How would the verb agreement change if the subject was 'two angry bees' instead of just one?
The subject would become Kaksi vihaista mehiläistä, using the partitive singular after the number. Because the subject is a quantified phrase, the main verb must take the singular form! So the verb would remain taitaa, making the sentence Kaksi vihaista mehiläistä taitaa pistää sinua.
Why is the verb taitaa used here when the English translation says 'will probably'?
Taitaa is a handy verb that means 'to probably do' or 'might do' something. Instead of using a separate adverb for 'probably', Finnish often expresses this by using taitaa followed by the basic infinitive form of the main action, which is pistää (to sting) in this sentence.
Why is sinua in the partitive case?
The verb pistää (to sting or prick) takes a partitive object. In Finnish, verbs of hitting, touching, or stinging usually require the partitive because the action is directed at the object but doesn't 'finish' or consume it. Therefore, sinä becomes sinua.
Can the verb pistää mean anything else?
Yes, it is a very common and versatile verb. Aside from insects stinging or needles pricking, it is often used in spoken Finnish to mean 'to put' or 'to place', similar to the verb laittaa.
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