Quantifiers in the Singular
In Finnish, the quantifiers moni (many) and usea (several) are frequently used in the singular to describe a large group. When used this way, the noun that follows them must also be in the singular.
| Several supporters had joined the club. | Usea kannattaja oli liittynyt kerhoon. |
| Why did many people march in the crowd? | Miksi moni ihminen marssi väkijoukossa? |
The Irregular Forms of moni
The quantifier moni has an irregular inflection paradigm. The most important exception to memorize is its partitive singular form, which is monta. When you use monta, the noun following it must also be in the partitive singular.
| Let's go to the demonstration! Many friends are already there. | Mennään mielenosoitukseen! Siellä on jo monta kaveria. |
Its genitive singular form, however, is the more predictable monen. This form is used, for example, with postpositions like kanssa (with).
| We marched in the demonstration yesterday with many friends. | Me marssimme eilen mielenosoituksessa monen ystävän kanssa. |
Plural Forms
While moni and usea are common in the singular, they can also be used in the plural. When they are, the noun that follows them must match and also be plural. In the nominative plural, they become monet and useat.
| Many organizations had marched together. | Monet järjestöt olivat marssineet yhdessä. |
| Several supporters participated in the demonstration yesterday. | Useat kannattajat osallistuivat eilen mielenosoitukseen. |
Finally, some sentence structures require a partitive plural object, such as when expressing ownership or when using verbs like edustaa (to represent). The partitive plural of usea is useita.
| This choir represents several organizations. | Tämä kuoro edustaa useita järjestöjä. |
| The choir has several supporters. | Kuorolla on useita kannattajia. |
