Breakdown of Molemmat kolmikot esiintyvät tänään.
tänään
today
esiintyä
to perform
molemmat
both (of them)
kolmikko
trio
Questions & Answers about Molemmat kolmikot esiintyvät tänään.
How does the suffix -kko work to make the word kolmikko?
The suffix -kko (or -kkö for front-vowel harmony) is added to a number or a noun stem to indicate a cluster or a group of that size. By attaching it to the stem of kolme (three), it creates the noun kolmikko, which means "a trio" or "a group of three".
Numbers normally require the partitive singular. Why is it kolmikot (plural nominative) here?
Because kolmikko acts as a regular noun meaning "a trio", rather than as a numeral. When you have more than one trio (in this case, molemmat, meaning "both"), you simply treat it like any other noun and use the regular plural suffix -t.
Would the sentence change if I used kumpikin instead of molemmat for "both"?
Yes, the grammar would change completely. While both words translate to "both", molemmat is used with plural nouns and plural verbs (Molemmat kolmikot esiintyvät). If you use kumpikin, the noun and verb must be in the singular: Kumpikin kolmikko esiintyy.
I often mix up esiintyä and esittää. Why do we use esiintyvät here?
Esiintyä is an intransitive verb (meaning it doesn't take an object), used for "to perform" as an artist, or "to appear". Esittää means "to perform something" or "to present", and requires an object (like a song or a play). Since the sentence just says they are performing in general and doesn't state what they are performing, esiintyvät is the correct choice.
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