Breakdown of Annan housut räätälille paikattavaksi, ja hän ompelee napin.
hän
he / she
ja
and
antaa
to give
housut
trousers, pants
ommella
to sew
räätäli
the tailor
paikata
to patch
nappi
the button
Questions & Answers about Annan housut räätälille paikattavaksi, ja hän ompelee napin.
How does the word paikattavaksi translate to 'to be patched'?
It uses the passive present participle ending -tava (or -ttava depending on the verb), which implies 'something that is to be done'. To this, we add the translative case ending -ksi. In Finnish, the translative case is heavily used to show purpose or an intended future state. Combined, paikattavaksi literally means 'for the purpose of being patched'.
Why is paikattavaksi in the singular form when the trousers (housut) are plural?
When the passive present participle in the translative case is used to express the purpose of an action, it acts almost like a verbal noun and usually stays in the singular (-tavaksi) regardless of whether the object is singular or plural. While the plural paikattaviksi is grammatically possible, the singular is much more common and perfectly idiomatic here.
Why does the object napin have an -n ending while housut ends in -t?
Both are total objects in the accusative case, but their endings differ because of their grammatical number. Nappi (button) is singular, so its standard accusative form looks like the genitive, taking an -n. Housut (trousers) is a plural word, and the plural accusative always looks identical to the plural nominative, ending in -t.
How do we form the passive participle paikattava from the dictionary verb paikata?
Paikata is a Type 4 verb. In Type 4, the infinitive has the weak consonant grade (a single k) while the active present tense is strong (like paikkaan with a double kk). Passive forms, including this participle, are built on the weak grade. You take the stem paikat- and add the passive participle ending -tava to get paikattava.
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