Questions & Answers about Salajuoni on meneillään.
How is the word meneillään formed from the verb mennä?
This represents the core structure of this lesson: a deverbal noun (a noun formed from a verb) in the plural adessive case, plus a possessive suffix. The stem comes from mennä (to go). We add the plural adessive ending -illä to get meneillä, and then attach the third-person possessive suffix -än. It translates literally to something like 'at its goings,' but simply means 'underway.'
Why does meneillään need a possessive suffix here?
In this ongoing process structure, the possessive suffix must match the subject of the sentence, which is salajuoni (the plot). Since 'the plot' is a third-person subject ('it'), the adverbial takes the third-person suffix -än. You could also use the alternative third-person suffix -nsä and say meneillänsä, which is equally correct.
How does meneillään differ from simply saying 'Salajuoni on menossa'?
Both essentially mean 'is underway' or 'is going on,' and they are often interchangeable. However, meneillään strongly emphasizes the continuous process or state of being in progress, making it very natural for an abstract concept like a plot. Menossa is also common, but is especially typical for scheduled events with a clear start and end, like kokous on menossa (the meeting is going on).
What are the component words of salajuoni?
It is a compound of sala (secret, stealth) and juoni (plot, scheme, or storyline). You will see sala- used as a prefix in many words related to secrecy, such as salasana (password), salaisuus (a secret), and salamurha (assassination).
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