Breakdown of Kenen kanssa aiot liittoutua?
kuka
who
kanssa
with
aikoa
to intend, to be going to
liittoutua
to ally oneself
Questions & Answers about Kenen kanssa aiot liittoutua?
The current lesson is about verbs requiring the illative case. Why doesn't 'liittoutua' take the illative?
While the related verb liittyä (to join) requires the illative case (e.g., liittyä ryhmään - to join a group), liittoutua (to ally oneself) requires the postposition kanssa. This makes sense if you think of it as forming a mutual pact with someone, rather than attaching yourself into something.
How is the verb 'liittoutua' formed?
It is built from the noun liitto (alliance, union, league). The -utua ending is a reflexive suffix in Finnish, which often indicates doing an action to or for yourself. Therefore, liittoutua fundamentally means 'to form oneself into an alliance'.
Could I use 'liittyä' in this sentence instead?
Not on its own. Saying Mihin aiot liittyä? works for 'What are you going to join?' (like a club), but using it with a person sounds like you are physically attaching yourself to them. To say 'join forces with someone', you must use either liittoutua or the phrasal verb liittyä yhteen.
As a quick refresher, why is the question word 'kuka' in the form 'kenen' here?
The word kanssa (with) is a postposition that requires the word before it to be in the genitive case. Kenen is the genitive form of kuka (who). Since it is a question, the entire postpositional phrase Kenen kanssa stays grouped together and moves to the front of the sentence.
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