Breakdown of Menneisyys on asia, jota monet kaipaavat.
olla
to be
asia
thing, matter
joka
who / which (relative pronoun)
moni
many (a)
Questions & Answers about Menneisyys on asia, jota monet kaipaavat.
Why is the relative pronoun in the partitive case (jota) instead of the nominative (joka)?
It is in the partitive case because it acts as the object of the verb kaivata (to miss/long for) in the relative clause. Kaivata is a partitive verb, meaning the thing you miss must always be in the partitive case.
The word for "many" is moni, but here it's in the plural form monet. Why?
In Finnish, you can express "many people" in two ways. You can use the singular moni with a singular verb (moni kaipaa), which is very common. However, using the plural nominative monet with a plural verb (kaipaavat) is also perfectly correct and often used to emphasize many distinct individuals.
How is the noun menneisyys (the past) formed?
It is built from the verb mennä (to go). First, you take the past participle mennyt (gone / past). Then, you add the noun-forming suffix -isyys—which is similar to "-ness" or "-ity" in English—to create the concept of "the past" (menneisyys).
This lesson is about using the illative case for duration in negative sentences. How would I adapt this sentence to say "Many haven't missed the past in a long time"?