The Partitive Plural Object
You will often need the partitive plural for a sentence's object. This happens in three main situations: when talking about an indefinite quantity, when using a specific "partitive verb," or when the sentence is negative.
Indefinite Quantities and Ongoing Actions
If you are talking about an undefined amount (like "some trucks" or "new motorcycles") or an ongoing, incomplete action, the object takes the partitive plural. Any adjectives describing the noun must also take the partitive plural.
| They are buying new motorcycles. | He ostavat uusia moottoripyöriä. |
| The city is buying new trucks. | Kaupunki ostaa uusia kuorma-autoja. |
| The engineer is designing new bridges and tunnels. | Insinööri suunnittelee uusia siltoja ja tunneleita. |
Partitive Verbs
Just like with singular nouns, certain verbs always require a partitive object, regardless of quantity. Common examples include katsoa (to look at), odottaa (to wait for), auttaa (to help), etsiä (to look for), and pelätä (to be afraid of).
| The boy is looking at old trucks. | Poika katsoo vanhoja kuorma-autoja. |
| We are waiting for the traffic lights. | Me odotamme liikennevaloja. |
| The police help pedestrians on the street. | Poliisi auttaa jalankulkijoita kadulla. |
| I am afraid of big intersections. | Minä pelkään isoja risteyksiä. |
Negative Sentences
The golden rule of Finnish objects still applies: if the sentence is negative, the object must be in the partitive case.
| The man does not understand the new signs. | Mies ei ymmärrä uusia kylttejä. |
