Word
Istummeko me keskimmäisillä vai reunimmaisilla tuoleilla?
Meaning
Are we sitting in the middlemost or the outermost chairs?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Istummeko me keskimmäisillä vai reunimmaisilla tuoleilla?
tuoli
chair
me
we
vai
or (in questions)
istua
to sit
Questions & Answers about Istummeko me keskimmäisillä vai reunimmaisilla tuoleilla?
How does the suffix -immäinen attach to the word for middle to make keskimmäisillä?
The root is keski (center or middle). When we add the extremity suffix -immäinen, we get keskimmäinen (the middlemost). Because the noun tuoleilla (on the chairs) is in the plural adessive case, the adjective must match it. The stem of words ending in -nen usually changes to -se-, so keskimmäinen becomes keskimmäise-. Then we add the plural -i- and the adessive -llä, resulting in keskimmäisillä.
Why does the word for edge, reuna, lose its final letter in reunimmaisilla?
When adding the suffix -immainen to a noun ending in -a or -ä, that final vowel drops out to make room for the -i- of the suffix. So, reuna (edge) becomes reunimmainen (the outermost). Just like the previous adjective, its stem changes to reunimmaise- before adding the plural -i- and the adessive -lla to agree with tuoleilla.
Why are the adjectives and noun in the adessive case (-lla/-llä) rather than the inessive (-ssa/-ssä) if the English translation says sitting 'in' the chairs?