Breakdown of Istummeko me keskimmäisillä vai reunimmaisilla tuoleilla?
tuoli
chair
me
we
vai
or (in questions)
istua
to sit
keskimmäinen
middlemost
reunimmainen
outermost
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?
In English, we often sit 'in' a chair, especially if it has arms, but in Finnish, you almost always sit 'on' a chair. This requires the adessive case (-lla/-llä). So tuoleilla literally means 'on the chairs,' and the adjectives describing those chairs must take the exact same case.
Could I use tai instead of vai here since they both mean 'or'?
No, you must use vai in this sentence. In Finnish, vai is used specifically in questions where you are asking the listener to choose between mutually exclusive options (we are sitting either on the middle chairs OR on the outer chairs, not both). The word tai is used in regular statements or when the options are not mutually exclusive.
Learn Istummeko me keskimmäisillä vai reunimmaisilla tuoleilla 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