Questions & Answers about Onko isojen planeettojen kaasu kylmää?
How do we get the form planeettojen from the base word planeetta?
The basic word is planeetta. To make the plural stem, the ending -a changes to -o before adding the plural marker -i-, giving planeettoi-. When we add the standard genitive plural ending -en, the -i- sitting between two vowels turns into a -j- to make it easier to say. So, planeettoi- + -en becomes planeettojen.
Why is the adjective isojen also in the genitive plural?
In Finnish, adjectives must match the case and number of the noun they describe. Because planeettojen is in the genitive plural, the word for large (iso) must also take the genitive plural form, becoming isojen.
The English translation says "the gas of the large planets". Why does the Finnish sentence put the planets first?
In Finnish, a word in the genitive case always comes directly before the noun it owns or modifies. It is structured exactly like the English "'s" form: isojen planeettojen kaasu translates literally to "the large planets' gas".
Why does the sentence use kylmää in the partitive case instead of the basic form kylmä?