Breakdown of Me puolustimme lasta ilman apua kynsin hampain.
me
we
lapsi
child
apu
help
hammas
tooth
ilman
without
puolustaa
to defend
kynsi
nail (fingernail, toenail)
Questions & Answers about Me puolustimme lasta ilman apua kynsin hampain.
What do kynsin and hampain literally mean, and how are they formed?
They literally mean 'with nails' and 'with teeth'. This is the instructive case, which describes how something is done. It is formed by adding -n to the plural stem of the noun. For kynsi (nail), the plural stem is kynsi-, becoming kynsin. For hammas (tooth), the plural stem is hampai-, becoming hampain.
Why is the child (lasta) in the partitive case? We successfully defended them, so shouldn't it be a total object?
Why is the word for help (apu) in the partitive case (apua) here?
The word ilman (without) is a preposition that always requires the following noun to be in the partitive case. Note that ilman typically comes before the word it modifies, just like in English, unlike many other Finnish relation words which act as postpositions.
Now that I know the instructive case, can I use it to say I did something with a hammer or by car?
Generally, no. In modern Finnish, the instructive case is mostly frozen in set phrases and idioms like kynsin hampain or paljain jaloin (barefoot). For everyday physical tools or modes of transport, you should use the adessive case (-lla/-llä), for example vasaralla (with a hammer) or autolla (by car).
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