Breakdown of Kun kävelen paljain jaloin, varon märkää lattiaa.
kävellä
to walk
lattia
floor
jalka
leg / foot
varoa
to beware
kun
when (conjunction)
märkä
wet
paljas
bare
Questions & Answers about Kun kävelen paljain jaloin, varon märkää lattiaa.
How is paljain jaloin formed, and what does it literally mean?
This phrase uses the instructive case. It attaches the ending -n to the plural stems of both the adjective paljas (bare) and the noun jalka (foot). Literally, it translates to "with bare feet." The instructive case is mostly used in fixed, adverb-like phrases like this.
How do we get the form paljain from the adjective paljas?
Words ending in -as usually have a basic stem ending in -aa- (like paljaa-). To get the plural stem, we add the plural marker -i-, which shortens the long vowel, resulting in paljai-. Finally, we add the instructive ending -n to get paljain.
Why does the stem of jalka change so much to become jaloin?
To form the instructive, we need the plural stem. First, jalka takes the weak grade, meaning the lk becomes l. Next, because it is a two-syllable word ending in -a, that final -a shifts to -o- before the plural marker -i-. This gives the stem jaloi-, to which we add the instructive -n.
Why is märkää lattiaa in the partitive case?
The verb varoa (to beware of, to watch out for) is a partitive verb. It dictates that its object must be in the partitive case. Therefore, both the adjective märkä (wet) and the noun lattia (floor) take the partitive ending.
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