Breakdown of Näissä laitteissa kytkimet ovat pieniä.
olla
to be
nämä
these
pieni
small
laite
device / ride (amusement park attraction)
kytkin
the switch
Questions & Answers about Näissä laitteissa kytkimet ovat pieniä.
What verb does kytkimet come from to form this instrument noun?
It is derived from the verb kytkeä, which means to connect, plug in, or switch on. By adding the instrument suffix -in, it becomes kytkin (a switch), literally meaning the tool that does the connecting.
Why does kytkin become kytkimet in the plural? Where does the -me- come from?
Words that end in the instrument suffix -in always use a stem ending in -ime- before you add any grammatical endings. To make it plural, you take the stem kytkime- and add the standard nominative plural marker -t, resulting in kytkimet.
Why is the subject kytkimet in the nominative plural, but the describing word pieniä is in the partitive plural?
When describing plural nouns with the verb olla (to be), the adjective is normally in the partitive plural. This tells us the switches are generally small. If you used the nominative plural and said kytkimet ovat pienet, it would specifically mean that the switches are 'the small ones' out of a larger, previously mentioned group.
Why does the word for device, laite, get a double tt in laitteissa?
The word laite ends in -e, which means it uses a double-vowel stem (laittee-) and undergoes reverse consonant gradation. The dictionary form is in the weak grade with one t, but when an ending like the plural inessive -issa is added, the stem strengthens to the strong grade with two ts.
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