another daft question

smoo · Post by **smoo** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:15 pm

Apparently I have to use the partitive after numbers, e.g. kuusi olutta. Is this the partitive /singular/ though, and if so, why?

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enk · Post by **enk** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:56 pm

smoo wrote:Apparently I have to use the partitive after numbers, e.g. kuusi olutta. Is this the partitive /singular/ though, and if so, why?

Yes, it is the singular form, although you only use it after numbers
greater than 1.

As to why this is so, I have no idea.

-enk

Horse · Post by **Horse** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 5:50 am

There are no daft questions.

Use the partitive singular with numbers. Why? You just do, ok? Perhaps they should have thought of a better name than "partitive singular". It took me ages to get the hang of the partitive singular vs. partitive plural.

Maybe the key is to think about how the partitive is used with negatives. "I don't have a car" would be "Minulla ei ole autoa"(part sing.), and "I don't have any cars" would be "Minulla ei ole autoja"(part. plur).

But maybe there are daft examples. Good luck with your language studies.

Horse

sammy · Post by **sammy** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 11:13 am

Yes, in its most common form it's a singular as the brethren have witnessed above.

A few more examples that may help you... (or confuse you

)

Kuusi autoa -> Kuusi kappaletta autoja
Viisi naulaa -> Viisi kappaletta nauloja

BUT with certain type of words

kolme olutta -> kolme lasia/tuoppia/pulloa olutta

To add a similar twist to Horse's example on negations:

Minulla ei ole autoa - I don't have a car
Minulla ei ole autoja - I don't have (several) cars
Minulla ei ole kahta/viittä autoa - I don't have two/five cars

... simple, innit?

smoo · Post by **smoo** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 12:33 am

Thanks.

On the subject of whether questions are daft or not -

Sometimes it helps to ask a question even when you are 80% sure of the answer. Quite apart from the fact that it clears up the uncertainty, it reinforces the memory!

Doubtless I will ask more undaft daft questions.

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 12:40 am

If the answer is daft, the question was just begging it

enk · Post by **enk** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 11:20 am

What about with the number "zero"? Would you say
"nolla autoa" or "nolla auto"?

(And yeah, I know most people would say "ei yhtään autoa"

)

-enk

sammy · Post by **sammy** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 3:06 pm

enk wrote:What about with the number "zero"? Would you say
"nolla autoa" or "nolla auto"?

(And yeah, I know most people would say "ei yhtään autoa" )

-enk

Nolla autoa. Btw, one might actually say that in some special context, if you (for some reason) really need to emphasize the "zero aspect"... for example, if you were a car salesman and had been expecting to sell ten cars on a certain day. You try all morning, you try all afternoon, but no-one buys and you get all nervous and frustrated... then when your colleague comes to you at the end of the day and says, well how many did you sell... you might say "nolla autoa", accompanied by the appropriate V-word

But, as you said, it's more likely that you hear "ei yhtään autoa".

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 3:10 pm

Unless it is the nolla-auto in rally

enk · Post by **enk** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:29 pm

Hank W. wrote:Unless it is the nolla-auto in rally

I noticed that when I tried googling the answer

Kinda skewed the results.

Thanks for the answer though sammy!

-enk

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