Word
Opiskelija on kaksikymmentäyksi vuotta vanha.
Meaning
The student is twenty-one years old.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Opiskelija on kaksikymmentäyksi vuotta vanha.
olla
to be
vanha
old
opiskelija
student
vuosi
year
Questions & Answers about Opiskelija on kaksikymmentäyksi vuotta vanha.
How is the long number kaksikymmentäyksi (twenty-one) built?
It is built from three parts: kaksi (two) + kymmentä (tens) + yksi (one). In Finnish, compound numbers are written together as a single long word.
Why is the word for year (vuotta) in the partitive form instead of the basic form (vuosi)?
In Finnish, any noun that comes immediately after a number (other than the number one) must take the partitive singular form. Since it follows twenty-one, vuosi becomes vuotta.
Since vuotta is in the partitive form, why does vanha (old) stay in the basic form?
The word vanha describes the student (opiskelija), not the years. Because opiskelija is in the basic form (the subject of the sentence), the adjective vanha must match it and stay in the basic form too.
Do I always have to say vuotta vanha when giving someone's age?
No! Just like in English, if the context is clear, you can simply drop the "years old" part and say Opiskelija on kaksikymmentäyksi (The student is twenty-one).