Questions & Answers about Lumi on valkoista ja puhdasta.
Why are the adjectives valkoista and puhdasta in the partitive case instead of the basic nominative form?
In Finnish, when you describe an uncountable substance or mass noun like lumi (snow), the adjective describing it must be in the partitive case. If you were describing a countable object like a car, you would use the basic form: Auto on valkoinen (The car is white).
Why is the subject lumi in the basic form if it is an uncountable word?
In a standard descriptive sentence (A is B), the subject is almost always in the basic nominative form, even if it is a mass noun. Only the describing adjective takes the partitive case to show that the subject is an uncountable substance.
How do we get the partitive form valkoista from the basic word valkoinen (white)?
For Finnish words ending in -nen, you replace the -nen with -s before adding the partitive ending. So valkoinen drops -nen to become valkoi-, adds -s-, and then the partitive ending -ta is attached to make valkoista.
How is the partitive formed for puhdasta (clean)?