Question 1

Why does the sentence start with Kirjassa instead of a word for 'there'?

Accepted Answer

Finnish doesn't have a direct equivalent for 'there is' or 'there are'. Instead, it uses a structure called an existential sentence. You start with the location (kirjassa meaning 'in the book'), followed by the verb on (is), and then the thing that exists there.

Question 2

Since there are 19 or 20 pictures, why is the verb on (is) singular instead of ovat (are)?

Accepted Answer

In these location-first 'there is / there are' sentences, the verb is almost always the singular on, even when talking about plural items like multiple pictures.

Question 3

How do you form the number yhdeksäntoista (nineteen)?

Accepted Answer

Numbers from 11 to 19 are formed by adding -toista to the base number. Yhdeksän means nine, and -toista means 'of the second'. So nineteen is literally 'nine of the second (ten)'.

Question 4

How does the word kaksikymmentä (twenty) break down?

Accepted Answer

It combines kaksi (two) and kymmentä, which is the partitive form of kymmenen (ten). In Finnish, multiples of ten are literally expressed as 'two tens', 'three tens', etc.

Question 5

Why is the word for picture written as kuvaa rather than its basic form kuva?

Accepted Answer

In Finnish, whenever you use a number greater than one, the noun that follows it must be in the partitive case. The partitive form of kuva is kuvaa.

Kirjassa on yhdeksäntoista tai kaksikymmentä kuvaa.

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