Breakdown of Ompelija ei pysty venyttämään saumaa.
ei
no / not (negative verb)
pystyä
to be able to, to manage
ompelija
the dressmaker
sauma
the seam
Questions & Answers about Ompelija ei pysty venyttämään saumaa.
Why is the object saumaa in the partitive case here?
The main reason is that this is a negative sentence (ei pysty). In Finnish, the object of a negative sentence is always in the partitive case. Furthermore, the verb venyttää (to stretch) frequently takes a partitive object even in positive sentences, as stretching is often viewed as an ongoing or incomplete process.
Why does the verb venyttämään end in -mään rather than its basic dictionary form?
The verb pystyä (to be able to / to be capable of) is a verb that strongly dictates the form of the verb that follows it. It always requires the next verb to be in the third infinitive illative form, ending in -maan or -mään. If you wanted to use the basic first infinitive, you would need to use a different verb like voida (e.g., Ompelija ei voi venyttää).
How does the verb venyttää differ from the similar-looking verb venyä?
Venyttää is a transitive verb meaning 'to stretch something' (an action a subject does to an object, like the dressmaker stretching the seam). Venyä is the intransitive equivalent meaning 'to stretch' on its own (like how an elastic waistband stretches). The -ttaa/-ttää ending is a common way to turn an intransitive verb into a causative one (causing the action to happen to something else).
This lesson focuses on the -tavaksi / -täväksi form (passive present participle translative). How could we use that form with this verb?