Breakdown of Hän ostaa neljä kynää ja kolme kirjaa.
kirja
book
hän
he / she
ja
and
kynä
pen
kolme
three
neljä
four
ostaa
to buy
Questions & Answers about Hän ostaa neljä kynää ja kolme kirjaa.
Why does the sentence use kynää and kirjaa instead of plural words for "pens" and "books"?
In Finnish, any number from two upwards is followed by the partitive singular form of the noun. Instead of using a plural, you are literally saying "four of a pen" (neljä kynää) and "three of a book" (kolme kirjaa).
How are the partitive forms kynää and kirjaa built here?
For basic words that end in a short, single vowel, like kynä (pen) and kirja (book), you form the partitive singular by simply doubling that final vowel.
Why does kynää get an extra ä at the end, while kirjaa gets an extra a?
This happens because of vowel harmony. The word kynä contains front vowels (y and ä), so its ending must use the front vowel ä. The word kirja contains a back vowel (a), so its ending uses the back vowel a. The i in kirja is a neutral vowel, so it just lets the back vowel take charge.
Does hän mean "he" or "she"?
It means both! Finnish doesn't have gendered pronouns. Out of context, Hän ostaa could translate to "She buys" or "He buys" just as easily. The provided translation just chose "he" as an example.
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