Breakdown of Kerromme toisillemme vanhoista muistoista.
vanha
old
kertoa
to tell
toisiaan
each other (also toisiamme, toisianne)
muisto
memory
Questions & Answers about Kerromme toisillemme vanhoista muistoista.
How is the word toisillemme (to each other) formed here?
It starts with the plural allative form of toinen (other), which is toisille (to others). Then we add the first-person plural possessive suffix -mme (our) to match the "we" in kerromme. Literally, it is like saying "to our others," but in Finnish, this is how you say "to each other."
Why is toisillemme in the plural? Could I use the singular toisellemme instead?
You can use both depending on the context! When you have a group of more than two people, you use the plural form toisillemme. If "we" refers to exactly two people, you would typically use the singular form toisellemme. Since we do not know the exact group size here, the plural is a great general choice.
Why are the words for "old memories" (vanhoista muistoista) in the elative case?
The verb kertoa (to tell) requires the thing you are talking about to be in the elative case, which usually means adding -sta or -stä. This takes the place of the English word "about." So, telling about memories becomes kertoa muistoista.
Why does vanha (old) change to vanhoista?
In Finnish, adjectives must always match the noun they describe in both number (singular or plural) and case. Since muistoista is in the plural elative case, vanha must also take the plural elative ending, becoming vanhoista.
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