Measuring Distance and Weight
In Finnish, exact measurements of distance, weight, and time behave syntactically like grammatical objects. When a basic affirmative sentence states a single, complete unit of measurement (like "a kilometer" or "a meter"), the measurement word takes the total object case, which ends in -n (the genitive-accusative).
| The athlete runs a kilometer as fast as possible. | Urheilija juoksee kilometrin mahdollisimman nopeasti. |
| A bad throw flies only a meter. | Huono heitto lentää vain metrin. |
Measurements with Numbers
When the exact measurement involves a number greater than one (like 7 kilos or 20 meters), the number itself acts as the total object. The number stays in its basic nominative form (no ending), and the unit of measurement that follows it takes the partitive case, exactly as it normally would after a number.
| The new javelin weighs 800 grams. | Uusi keihäs painaa 800 grammaa. |
| The men's shot weighs exactly 7 kilos. | Miesten kuula painaa tasan 7 kiloa. |
This rule applies whether you are stating how much something weighs, how far someone jumps, or how much you must eat.
| Does the pole also weigh 2 kilos? | Painaako seiväskin 2 kiloa? |
| He jumps 5 meters without a pole. | Hän hyppää 5 metriä ilman seivästä. |
| You must eat 100 grams of protein. | Sinun täytyy syödä 100 grammaa proteiinia. |
Combining Actions and Measurements
In track and field, you will often talk about throwing or pushing an object a specific distance. Verbs for throwing (heittää) or pushing/putting (työntää) take the partitive case for the sports equipment being moved.
Even with a partitive object in the sentence, the exact distance the object travels still follows the measurement object rules we just learned.
| He puts the shot 20 meters. | Hän työntää kuulaa 20 metriä. |
| He throws the javelin 90 meters. | Hän heittää keihästä 90 metriä. |
| The athlete pushed the car for a kilometer. | Urheilija työnsi autoa kilometrin. |