Breakdown of Tehdas muuttaa vanhat vaatteet ei ainoastaan kuiduiksi, vaan myös uusiksi räsymatoiksi.
myös
also
vanha
old
uusi
new
ei
no / not (negative verb)
tehdas
factory
vaate
the garment
muuttaa
to change (something)
vaan
but rather (after a negative)
kuitu
fiber
ainoastaan
only (solely, exclusively)
räsymatto
rag rug
Questions & Answers about Tehdas muuttaa vanhat vaatteet ei ainoastaan kuiduiksi, vaan myös uusiksi räsymatoiksi.
How is the translative plural kuiduiksi formed from kuitu (fiber)?
To form the translative plural, we use the plural stem. The translative suffix -ksi closes the syllable, which triggers the weak consonant grade. Therefore, the t in kuitu weakens to d. We then add the plural -i- and the suffix -ksi, resulting in kuiduiksi.
The singular translative of uusi (new) is uudeksi. Why does the plural form uusiksi keep the s?
Words ending in -si like uusi have a singular stem ending in -te- (which weakens to -de- in uudeksi). However, their plural stem simply ends in -si-. When we add the plural -i- and the translative -ksi, the vowels merge, giving us uusiksi without the consonant gradation seen in the singular.
Why does räsymatoiksi have only one t when the base word räsymatto (rag rug) has two?
Just as with kuiduiksi, adding the translative suffix -ksi closes the syllable and triggers the weak consonant grade. The double tt weakens to a single t. The final -o of matto remains, and we add the plural -i- followed by -ksi, giving räsymatoiksi.
Why is the object vanhat vaatteet in the nominative plural instead of the partitive?
The factory is performing a complete action on a specific set of clothes, which requires the accusative case for the object. In Finnish, the plural accusative looks exactly identical to the nominative plural, ending in -t. If the process were ongoing or applied to an undefined amount of clothes, it would be in the partitive (vanhoja vaatteita).
Why does the sentence use vaan instead of mutta for the word but?
The sentence uses the fixed pair ei ainoastaan... vaan myös (not only... but also). In Finnish, vaan is used instead of mutta when it follows a negative statement (here, ei) to introduce a direct contrast or correction.
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