Questions & Answers about Moni sivu on tyhjä.
Why aren't we using the partitive plural here, like monia sivuja, since the sentence means 'many pages'?
The word moni is unique because it usually acts as a grammatically singular word, translating roughly to 'many a' in English. Because of this, the noun it describes (sivu) stays in the basic singular form rather than the partitive plural.
Since the lesson is about the partitive plural endings -ja and -jä, what would those forms be for the words in this sentence?
The partitive plural of sivu is sivuja, and for tyhjä it is tyhjiä. You would use these if you paired them with a word that requires the partitive, like paljon (a lot). For example: Paljon sivuja on tyhjiä (A lot of pages are blank).
Why is the verb on (is) used instead of ovat (are)?
Because the subject moni sivu (many a page) is grammatically singular. In Finnish, singular subjects take singular verbs, even if the real-world meaning feels plural to an English speaker.
How would I write this using the plural word for 'many' (monet)?
If you use the plural form monet, the sentence becomes Monet sivut ovat tyhjiä. The subject monet sivut is nominative plural, which makes the verb plural (ovat). Finally, the describing adjective tyhjä takes the partitive plural ending to become tyhjiä.
Learn Moni sivu on tyhjä and more in Finnish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free