Learn Finnish: Vanha keräilijä teki uuden tarjouksen nyökkäämällä epäröimättä. - The old collector made a new bid by nodding without hesitation.

This is the third infinitive (the -ma-/-mä- form) in the adessive case (-lla/-llä). In Finnish, using the -malla/-mällä ending on a verb expresses the means or method by which something is done. Here, the verb nyökätä (to nod) becomes nyökkäämällä (by nodding).

How does the ending on epäröimättä give it the meaning 'without hesitation'?

This uses the abessive case of the third infinitive, which is formed with the ending -matta/-mättä. This ending translates to 'without doing' the action. The base verb is epäröidä (to hesitate), so epäröimättä literally means 'without hesitating'.

Why is the object uuden tarjouksen in the genitive case instead of the partitive?

The verb tehdä (to make) takes a total object here because the action of making the bid was completed and singular. The old collector made one full, completed bid, so uusi tarjous takes the genitive ending -n. If the action had been interrupted or was ongoing, the partitive uutta tarjousta would have been used.

The word keräilijä (collector) clearly comes from the verb kerätä (to collect). What do the extra letters in the middle do?