When to use the plural partitive and when the plural nominative, the one that ends with
t? It kind of depends on
the sentence type, but it also matters if you're talking about
some things,
certain things, or things that are
always in pairs.
To refresh your memory, the two different plurals look like this:
T-monikko:
|
Monikon partitiivi:
|
Englanniksi:
|
tytöt
|
tyttöjä
|
girls
|
pojat
|
poikia
|
boys
|
kissat
|
kissoja
|
cats
|
koirat
|
koiria
|
dogs
|
lapset
|
lapsia
|
children
|
miehet
|
miehiä
|
men
|
naiset
|
naisia
|
women
|
perheet
|
perheitä
|
families
|
asiakkaat
|
asiakkaita
|
customers
|
rakennukset
|
rakennuksia
|
buildings
|
lääkärit
|
lääkäreitä
|
doctors
|
maat
|
maita
|
countries
|
(Of course, there's
more plural forms, but this post is just about these two.)
To make the plural form, add the plural
i and the partitive
a, ä, ta or
tä to the basic form or to the stem, depending on the word type. The
i might cause previous vowels to change or disappear, and it becomes
j between two vowels. For more specific rules, check out
this link from Uusi kielemme website.
When to use it?
- Nämä keksit ovat tosi hyviä. - These cookies are really good.
- Pähkinät ovat terveellisiä. - Nuts are healthy.
- Suomalaiset ovat kohteliaita. - Finns are polite. (If you disagree, say epäkohteliaita.)
- Pojat ovat poikia. - Boys are boys.
The first plural, the subject of the sentence, is in the t-form. The plural in the end of the sentence is in the partitive form.
If the word is something that always comes in pairs or just happens to be used in the plural form, then both plurals are in the t-form.
- Nämä kumisaappaat ovat tosi lämpimät. - These rubber boots are really warm.
- Victorian ja Danielin häät olivat ihanat! - Victoria's and Daniel's wedding was lovely!
In spoken language, we usually say
on instead of
ovat: Nää keksit on tosi hyviä. Victorian ja Danielin häät oli ihanat!
2. Having, wanting, eating, buying (and so on) something in plural
- Minulla on porkkanoita. - I have carrots.
- Ostitko tulitikkuja? - Did you buy matches?
Again, if you're talking about a certain group or something that is always in plural, use the t-plural:
- Onko sinulla uudet silmälasit? - Do you have new glasses?
- Otitko ne kirjat mukaan? - Did you take the books with you?
3. Describing what is where
- Suomessa on paljon metsiä ja järviä. - There are a lot of lakes and forests in Finland.
- Aalto-yliopistossa on paljon ulkomaalaisia opiskelijoita. - There are many foreign students in the Aalto university.
Plural partitive in the beginning of the sentence
Notice that sometimes, but not very often, we use plural partitive in the beginning of the sentence.
- When explaining how many you are:
- Meitä oli viisi. - There were five of us
- The object of a passive sentence: