Questions & Answers about Mihin laitoit johdon?
Why do we use mihin (where to) instead of missä (where at)?
In Finnish, verbs about placing, leaving, or putting—like laittaa—require "destination" cases (like the illative mihin). You are moving the wire to a location, whereas English simply uses the static "where".
Why is the word for wire in the form johdon instead of the basic johto?
It is the total object of the sentence. Because the action is complete and affirmative (you put the entire wire somewhere), it takes the genitive-accusative ending -n. If the sentence were negative ("You didn't put the wire..."), it would take the partitive case (johtoa).
What happens to the letters in the middle of johto when it becomes johdon?
This is a classic example of consonant gradation. When the -n ending is added, it closes the final syllable, causing the strong consonant combination -ht- in johto to weaken to -hd- in johdon.
How does the verb laitoit (you put) change from its dictionary form?
The dictionary form is laittaa. Just like with the noun in this sentence, the verb undergoes consonant gradation. The strong -tt- weakens to a single -t- before the past tense marker (-i-) and the personal ending for "you" (-t).
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