Breakdown of Sinun täytyy vihkiä hänet, ja sitten veljeskunta sanoo häntä mestariksi.
sinä
you
hän
he / she
ja
and
sanoa
to say
sitten
then
täytyä
to have to
mestari
champion
vihkiä
to initiate
veljeskunta
the brotherhood
Questions & Answers about Sinun täytyy vihkiä hänet, ja sitten veljeskunta sanoo häntä mestariksi.
Why is the pronoun 'him' translated as hänet in the first half of the sentence but häntä in the second?
This highlights a difference in verb rections. In the first clause, vihkiä takes a total object. While necessive structures like täytyy usually force objects into the nominative case, personal pronouns are an exception and always take their special accusative form (hänet). In the second clause, sanoa (when meaning 'to call someone something') strictly requires a partitive object (häntä).
Why is the word for 'master' in the translative case (mestariksi)?
When using sanoa to label someone or call them a title, the title is put in the translative case. The translative ending (-ksi) generally indicates a role that someone transitions into or is newly assigned to by others.
The lesson also mentions the verb kutsua. How would the sentence change if we used that instead of sanoa?
If you used kutsua, the object would remain in the partitive (häntä). However, while sanoa frequently uses the translative to show a new title being given, kutsua is often paired with an essive complement. This means you might say veljeskunta kutsuu häntä mestarina, which focuses more on the ongoing state of him being addressed as a master.
What else can the verb vihkiä mean besides 'to initiate'?
While it means 'to initiate' or 'to ordain' into a society or religious order here, its most common everyday meaning is 'to marry' (specifically referring to a priest or official marrying a couple). It is also used to mean 'to inaugurate' or 'to dedicate' a new building.
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