Concepto nuevo
Plural objects: -t or partitive
Plural objects follow the same logic — whole or partial:
| Total plural: -t | Partial plural: -ja / -jä, -ita / -itä |
|---|---|
| Ostan munat. — I'll buy the eggs (all the ones we need). | Ostan munia. — I'll buy some eggs. |
| Syömme mansikat. — We'll eat (up) the strawberries. | Syömme mansikoita. — We're eating strawberries. |
- The total plural object looks just like the ordinary plural, ending in -t: munat, mansikat, kupit.
- The partial plural is the plural partitive you met at the market in Unit 4: munia, marjoja, mansikoita.
One surprise: jauhot (flour) is a plural word in Finnish, a bit like English scissors. So: Tarvitsemme jauhoja. — We need (some) flour. Ostan jauhot. — I'll buy the flour.
And where do you buy them? Finnish buys things from a shop, not in it: Ostan munat kaupasta. — I'll buy the eggs at the shop.