Discussing Demographics
When discussing population statistics, such as census data or regional growth, you will need a specific set of vocabulary.
To express fractions like "a third" or "a quarter" as nouns in Finnish, use the suffix -nes. It attaches to the stem of the numeral:
- 3: kolme -> kolmannes (a third)
- 4: neljä -> neljännes (a quarter)
- 5: viisi -> viidennes (a fifth)
- 10: kymmenen -> kymmenennes (a tenth)
When stating that a fraction belongs to a larger group (e.g., "a third of the citizens"), the word representing the whole group takes the elative case (-sta/-stä).
Inflecting Fractions
Because these fractions are nouns ending in -s, they inflect in all the grammatical cases.
Before adding most endings, the -s becomes -kse- (for example, the adessive becomes -kse-llä). However, the partitive case adds -tä directly to the base word, resulting in -nestä.
| Case | Example (neljännes) |
|---|
| Nominative | neljännes |
| Genitive | neljänneksen |
| Adessive | neljänneksellä |
| Partitive | neljännestä |
When counting multiple fractions (e.g., "two tenths"), use the partitive singular, just like with other numbers.
Population Trends
In demographic data, you will often track metrics like life expectancy and how populations multiply or decrease.