Breakdown of Henkivartijat vetäytyivät sisään.
sisään
in
vetäytyä
to retreat (withdraw)
henkivartija
bodyguard
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Questions & Answers about Henkivartijat vetäytyivät sisään.
How is the verb vetäytyivät formed from its root word, and how does the -ytyä suffix change the meaning?
The root verb is vetää, which means to pull. By adding the reflexive suffix -ytyä, the action turns back on the subject. Instead of pulling an object, they are pulling themselves, which translates to retreating or withdrawing.
What does the compound word henkivartijat literally mean?
It is a combination of henki (life, spirit, or breath) and vartija (guard) with the plural marker -t. A bodyguard in Finnish is literally a life guard.
Why does this sentence use sisään instead of sisällä?
The verb vetäytyä describes movement from one place to another. Because the bodyguards are moving into a space, Finnish requires the directional illative form sisään (into) rather than the static form sisällä (inside/at rest).
What do the -i- and -vät endings do in the word vetäytyivät?
The base verb stem is vetäyty-. The -i- marks the past tense, and the -vät is the third-person plural personal ending that matches the plural subject henkivartijat (they).