Questions & Answers about Lauma on syöksymäisillään savannille.
How is the word syöksymäisillään built from the basic verb?
It comes from the verb syöksyä (to rush or dart). To form the fifth infinitive, you take the strong vowel stem (syöksy-), add the marker -mäisillä- (using front vowels because of vowel harmony), and finally attach a possessive suffix. Since the subject lauma is third-person singular, it takes the third-person suffix -än.
Why does a verb form like the fifth infinitive need a possessive suffix?
In Finnish, several infinitive constructions act a bit like nouns, meaning they use possessive suffixes to indicate who is performing the action. The fifth infinitive cannot exist without one. Because the subject lauma is an "it" (third-person singular), the suffix -än ties the "about to" action back to the pack.
How is syöksymäisillään different in feeling from saying aikoo syöksyä?
While aikoo syöksyä simply means "intends to rush" or "plans to rush," the fifth infinitive (syöksymäisillään) expresses that the action is highly imminent. They are on the very brink of doing it right this second. It translates closest to "is just about to rush" or "is on the verge of rushing."
Why do we use the allative case savannille instead of the illative savanniin?
In Finnish, open areas, fields, and surfaces typically take the exterior local cases (like the allative -lle, meaning "onto"). Because a savanna is a wide, open expanse of land, you rush "onto" it rather than "into" it.
Learn Lauma on syöksymäisillään savannille and more in Finnish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free