【芬兰语语法】§33.4 THE PARTITIVE IN EXPRESSIONS OF QUANTITY

 The partitive is used in expressions of quantity, i.e. after numerals and words

like monta ‘many’, paljon ‘much’, vähän ‘(a) little, few’ (except when the

numeral is inflected, see §52.2).

The partitive singular is used after numerals (except yksi ‘one’).

yksi tyttö one girl

kaksi tyttö/ä two girls

viisi tyttö/ä five girls

neljä maa/ta four countries

yhdeksän vene/ttä nine boats

kaksikymmentä kirja/a twenty books

sata mies/tä a hundred men

monta nais/ta many women

After other expressions of quantity the partitive singular is used for divisible

words and the partitive plural for non-divisible words.

vähän maito/a (a) little milk

vähän auto/j/a few cars

paljon olut/ta much beer

90 Finnish: An Essential Grammar

puoli tunti/a half an hour

kuppi kuuma/a kahvi/a a cup of hot coffee

kaksi kuppi/a kylmä/ä tee/tä two cups of cold tea

lasi punaviini/ä a glass of red wine

kilo omeno/i/ta a kilo of apples

kaksi kilo/a appelsiine/j/a two kilos of oranges

joukko ihmis/i/ä a crowd of people

pari kenk/i/ä a pair of shoes

pala leipä/ä a bit of bread

pussi sokeri/a a bag of sugar

If the numeral expression is the subject of the sentence, the finite verb is then

in the third person singular.

Kaksi miestä kulke/e kadulla. Two men walk/are walking in the street.

(Compare: Miehet kulke/vat The men walk/are walking in the street.

kadulla.

Neljä pääministeriä Four prime ministers meet/are

kokoontu/u Helsinkiin. meeting in Helsinki.

(Compare: Pääministerit The prime ministers meet/are

kokoontu/vat Helsinkiin. meeting in Helsinki.)

If the numeral is in a case other than the nominative, the whole phrase of

which the numeral is a part must be in the same case (concord, §52.2).

Ajamme Helsinkiin kahde/lla auto/lla.

We drive/are driving to Helsinki in two cars.

Minulla ei ole kolme/a velje/ä.

I don’t have three brothers.

Kirjoitin kirjan kuude/ssa viiko/ssa.

I wrote a/the book in six weeks.