Breakdown of Minä haluan jommankumman rodun pennun.
minä
I
haluta
to want
pentu
the puppy
jompikumpi
either (of two)
rotu
the breed
Questions & Answers about Minä haluan jommankumman rodun pennun.
Why does jommankumman look like it has the genitive 'n' ending twice?
Because it does! The base word for 'either' is jompikumpi. When declining this pronoun, both halves change to match the case. Here, both parts take the genitive ending -n, becoming jomman and kumman (notice the mp to mm consonant gradation in both halves). Put together, it makes jommankumman.
Why are jommankumman and rodun in the genitive case?
They express connection or belonging, translating to 'of either breed'. Together they modify the puppy (pennun). In Finnish, this creates a genitive chain: jommankumman rodun pentu literally translates to 'either breed's puppy'.
Why is the object pennun in the genitive-like accusative case instead of the partitive case (pentua)?
Because it is a 'total object'. The verb haluta (to want) takes this case when you are talking about getting one whole, complete thing (a single puppy). If you were talking about an unspecified quantity of puppies, you would use the partitive plural: haluan pentuja.
What are the nominative (dictionary) forms of rodun and pennun, and why did their consonants change?
Their dictionary forms are rotu (breed) and pentu (puppy). Adding the -n case ending closes the final syllable, which triggers consonant gradation. The t in rotu softens to d, and the nt in pentu softens to nn.
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