Breakdown of Oletteko ikävöineet toisianne paljon?
olla
to be
paljon
a lot
toisiaan
each other (also toisiamme, toisianne)
ikävöidä
to miss
Questions & Answers about Oletteko ikävöineet toisianne paljon?
How do we break down the word toisianne ("each other")?
It is made of three parts! The base is toinen (other). Here it is in the plural partitive form, toisia, and finally it has the possessive suffix -nne attached, which matches the subject "you" (plural). Literally, it is like saying "your others".
Why is toisianne in the partitive case?
The case you use for "each other" depends on the verb. The verb ikävöidä (to miss) expresses an emotion, and emotion verbs almost always require their object to be in the partitive case.
Why does the verb end in -neet here (ikävöineet)?
This sentence is in the perfect tense ("have missed"). Because the subject is the plural "you" (indicated by oletteko), the main verb ikävöidä takes the plural past participle ending -neet. If the subject were singular, it would be ikävöinyt.
Why is the question particle -ko attached to olette instead of the main verb?
In Finnish yes/no questions, the particle -ko / -kö is attached to the first word of the sentence. In perfect tense questions ("Have you...?"), the helper verb olla goes first, so it becomes oletteko. The main verb (ikävöineet) comes later.