Questions & Answers about Miksi uhrasit tuon nappulan?
Why does the object tuon nappulan look like it is in the genitive case?
It is actually in the accusative case, which for singular nouns looks exactly like the genitive case (ending in -n). We use the accusative here because sacrificing the piece was a completed action that affected the whole object.
What is the dictionary form of the verb uhrasit, and how does it form the past tense?
The dictionary form is uhrata (to sacrifice). It is a Type 4 verb. To form the past tense, the -ata ending becomes -asi-, so adding the "you" ending (-t) gives us uhrasit.
I learned that nappula means "button". How does it fit into this sentence?
In addition to meaning a button or a knob on a device, nappula is also the standard Finnish word for a playing piece in a board game, such as a chess piece.