Breakdown of Laitan takin ja kirjan reppuun.
minä
I
kirja
the book
ja
and
laittaa
to put
takki
the coat
reppu
the backpack
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Questions & Answers about Laitan takin ja kirjan reppuun.
What does laitan mean, and what is its infinitive form and grammatical person?
laitan is the first‐person singular present tense of the verb laittaa. It literally means I put or I am putting. The ending -n marks minä (I), so you don’t need to spell out the subject pronoun.
Why is minä (I) omitted in the sentence?
Finnish is a “pro-drop” language. The verb ending -n in laitan already tells you the subject is I, so minä is usually left out unless you want extra emphasis (e.g. Minä laitan…).
Why do takin and kirjan both end in -n? What case is that?
They’re in the accusative (object) case when the action is total or completed. In the singular this form coincides with the genitive, so:
- takki (coat) → takin (the coat as a complete object)
- kirja (book) → kirjan (the book as a complete object)
When would you use the partitive case instead of accusative for objects like these?
Use the partitive (-a/-ä, or plural ‑ja/-jä) when the action is ongoing, partial or indefinite. For example:
- Laitan takkeja reppuun. = I’m putting some coats into the backpack.
- Luen kirjaa. = I’m reading a book (not necessarily the whole book).
What case is reppuun, and what does it express?
reppuun is the illative case, which denotes movement into something. Here: into the backpack. The base form is reppu (backpack), plus the illative ending.
Why does reppuun have a double u?
The modern illative singular on words ending in a vowel is formed by lengthening that final vowel and adding -n. So reppu → reppuu + n = reppuun.
What is consonant gradation, and why does takki lose one k in takin?
Consonant gradation is a systematic alternation between “strong” and “weak” consonants in Finnish stems. In a closed syllable (when you add the -n ending), the strong grade kk weakens to k, hence takki → takin.
Why aren’t there articles like a or the before takin and kirjan?
Finnish does not have articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is inferred from context rather than marked by separate words.
Can you change the word order in this sentence?
Yes. Finnish has fairly free word order for emphasis. For example:
- Reppuun laitan takin ja kirjan. (Emphasizes the destination)
- Takin ja kirjan laitan reppuun. (Emphasizes what is being put in)