Breakdown of Isoäiti leikkaa kankaat tilkuiksi ja virkkaa ne nukeiksi.
se
it / he / she (of a person) / that
ja
and
isoäiti
grandmother
kangas
fabric
leikata
to cut
tilkku
patch
virkata
to crochet
nukke
doll
Questions & Answers about Isoäiti leikkaa kankaat tilkuiksi ja virkkaa ne nukeiksi.
How do we build the translative plural form tilkuiksi from the basic word tilkku?
The word tilkku (patch) takes the weak stem tilku-. We use the weak consonant grade because the plural -i- combined with the translative ending -ksi historically closed the syllable. Add the plural -i- and the ending -ksi to the stem to get tilkuiksi.
Why does the stem of nukke change to nukei- in the word nukeiksi?
The base word nukke (doll) has the weak stem nuke-. When forming the plural of a word ending in e, that vowel doesn't drop. Instead, it combines with the plural -i- to form the diphthong ei. Finally, add the translative -ksi to get nukeiksi.
Why is the object kankaat in the plural nominative form ending in -t instead of the partitive plural?
kankaat is a total object here. Using the plural nominative (sometimes called the t-accusative) shows that the grandmother cuts all of these specific fabrics completely into patches. If the action were ongoing or applied to an undefined amount of fabric, it would be in the partitive plural kankaita.
The verb form is virkkaa, but what is its dictionary form and how does its consonant gradation work?
The dictionary form is virkata (to crochet), which is a Type 4 verb. These verbs undergo reverse consonant gradation: the infinitive has the weak grade rk, but the present tense conjugated forms take the strong grade rkk, which is why we see a double k in virkkaa.
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