Hän puolustautui paljain käsin ja pelkin nyrkein.
He defended himself with bare hands and mere fists.
Breakdown of Hän puolustautui paljain käsin ja pelkin nyrkein.
hän
he / she
ja
and
käsi
hand
paljas
bare
puolustautua
to defend oneself
pelkkä
mere, nothing but
nyrkki
fist
Questions & Answers about Hän puolustautui paljain käsin ja pelkin nyrkein.
Why are we using the -in ending on paljain and pelkin instead of a more common case like the adessive?
This is the instructive case, which expresses the instrument or means by which something is done. It is mostly used in fixed plural expressions like paljain käsin (with bare hands). Just like with other cases, the adjectives modifying the noun must agree in case and number, so paljas (bare) and pelkkä (mere) take the same -in ending as the nouns käsin and nyrkein.
How is the form paljain derived from the dictionary word paljas?
To form the instructive, you add -n to the plural stem of the word. For paljas (bare), the basic vowel stem is paljaa-. To make it plural, the last vowel changes to -i-, giving the plural stem paljai-. Finally, adding the -n gives you paljain.
What happens to the word pelkkä to make it pelkin?
The adjective pelkkä (mere) undergoes consonant gradation from the strong kk to the weak k when moving to the plural stem. The final -ä drops out entirely when the plural -i- is added, resulting in the plural stem pelki-. Adding the instructive -n makes it pelkin.
What is the difference between puolusti and puolustautui?
Puolusti comes from puolustaa, which means to defend someone or something else. The verb in this sentence, puolustautua, contains the reflexive suffix -utua, which turns the action back on the subject. Therefore, puolustautui specifically means that the subject defended himself.
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