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Questions & Answers about He tapasivat sattumalta.
This lesson focuses on using the verb sattua (to happen to). How could I rewrite this sentence to use that verb structure instead?
You could say He sattuivat tapaamaan. While the original sentence uses the adverb sattumalta (by chance), using the verb sattua followed by the third infinitive (-maan/-mään form) means the exact same thing: 'They happened to meet.'
How is the word sattumalta constructed?
It is the ablative case (the -lta ending) of the noun sattuma (coincidence). Using the ablative case is a standard way in Finnish to express how something happened, translating neatly to 'by chance.' Sattuma itself is a noun derived directly from the verb sattua.
As a refresher, why does the verb tavata (to meet) look so different in the form tapasivat?
Tavata is a Type 4 verb, which uses reverse consonant gradation. The weak v in the infinitive strengthens to p in the conjugated forms. Also, Type 4 verbs ending in -ata take the past tense marker -si-, changing the present stem tapaa- into the past stem tapasi-. Add the 'they' ending -vat, and you get tapasivat.