Questions & Answers about Mitä soitinta etsit?
How does the word soitin fit into the pattern of instrument nouns?
Soitin (musical instrument) is derived from the verb soittaa (to play an instrument) by adding the suffix -in. This suffix turns a verb into a noun that represents the tool used to perform that action. In modern Finnish, soitin is also used for media players, such as a cd-soitin or mp3-soitin.
The dictionary form is soitin. Why is the partitive form soitinta?
For nouns ending in the -in suffix, the partitive singular is formed by adding -ta or -tä directly to the nominative form, giving us soitinta. This is an exception to the general rule for these words, which otherwise use the stem -ime- when adding case endings (like the genitive soittimen or illative soittimeen).
Why does soitinta have a single t when the root verb soittaa has a double tt?
Words ending in -in are slightly tricky because their dictionary form is in the weak consonant grade. The closed syllable of the -in suffix forces the strong tt of soittaa to weaken to a single t in soitin. The partitive soitinta also keeps this weak grade. However, when using the -ime- stem in open syllables, the strong grade returns (for example, soittimen).
Why are mitä and soitinta in the partitive case here?
The verb etsiä (to look for) is a partitive verb. Because searching is an ongoing action that does not have a guaranteed endpoint or finished result, its object must be in the partitive case. The question word mitä (what) acts as a modifier for the noun here, so it must agree in case with soitinta.
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