Breakdown of Minulla on tapana uusiokäyttää vanhoja farkkuja ja leikata niitä tilkuiksi.
olla
to be
se
it / he / she (of a person) / that
minä
I
ja
and
Questions & Answers about Minulla on tapana uusiokäyttää vanhoja farkkuja ja leikata niitä tilkuiksi.
How is tilkuiksi formed from the base word tilkku, and why is the translative case used here?
The translative case (-ksi) is used to express a change of state: the jeans are being turned into patches. To form the plural translative, take the stem of tilkku, add the plural -i-, and the ending -ksi. Because the ending -ksi closes the preceding syllable, it triggers consonant gradation. The strong kk weakens to a single k, giving us tilkuiksi.
Why is the word tapa in the essive case (tapana) in this sentence?
The structure [noun in adessive] on tapana [infinitive verb] is a very common fixed idiom meaning "someone is in the habit of doing something." The essive case (-na / -nä) generally expresses a state or role, so you are literally saying the action exists as a habit for you.
Why is the verb leikata written with a single k, even though its present tense is leikkaan?
Leikata is a Type 4 verb (ending in -ata / -ätä). Unlike Type 1 verbs, Type 4 verbs appear in their weak consonant grade in the basic infinitive form (single k). When conjugated into the present tense, the stem switches to the strong grade (kk), which is why "I cut" is leikkaan.