Breakdown of Salaperäinen sisältö oli jotakin hyvin jännittävää.
olla
to be
hyvin
very
jokin
something
jännittävä
exciting
salaperäinen
mysterious
sisältö
content
Questions & Answers about Salaperäinen sisältö oli jotakin hyvin jännittävää.
Why do we use the partitive form jotakin instead of the basic form jokin here?
In Finnish, when you use the verb olla (to be) to describe an abstract concept or an uncountable mass, the describing words usually go into the partitive case. Because sisältö (content) is treated as an abstract mass here, we use the partitive jotakin (something) rather than the basic nominative form jokin.
Could I use the pronoun joku in this sentence instead?
No, because the basic rule is that joku refers to people (someone), while jokin refers to things (something). Since sisältö (content) is a thing, you must use a form of jokin. If you used the partitive of joku, which is jotakuta, it would incorrectly mean you were talking about a person.
Is jotain the same thing as jotakin?
Yes! Jotakin is the standard, formal written partitive form of jokin. In everyday spoken Finnish and casual writing, it is almost always shortened to jotain. Both forms mean exactly the same thing.
Why is the adjective jännittävää also in the partitive case?
In Finnish, adjectives have to match the case of the noun or pronoun they are describing. Because the pronoun jotakin is in the partitive case, the adjective jännittävä (exciting) must also take a partitive ending, becoming jännittävää.
Doesn't hyvin usually mean "well"? Why does it mean "very" here?
You are right that hyvin is the adverb form of hyvä (good) and means "well" when describing an action. However, when you place hyvin directly in front of an adjective, it acts as an intensifier meaning "very", similar to words like tosi or erittäin.
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