Questions & Answers about Hänen osuutensa on viidesosa.
How is the fraction viidesosa formed?
It is made by combining the ordinal number viides (fifth) with the word osa (part). This is the standard way to form most fractions in Finnish: you take the ordinal word and add osa.
Is there another way to say "a fifth" in Finnish?
Yes! Finnish also has special fraction words that often end in -nnes. A fifth can also be called viidennes. Both viidesosa and viidennes are perfectly correct and widely used.
Why is there an -nsa at the end of osuutensa?
It is the third-person possessive suffix. In Finnish, when you use a possessive pronoun like hänen (his/her), you must also attach the matching possessive suffix to the noun. For the third person, this suffix is -nsa or -nsä depending on vowel harmony.
What is the dictionary form of osuutensa, and why does it have a t in it?
The dictionary form is osuus (share or portion). Nouns ending in -uus or -yys change their stem to -uute- or -yyte- before adding most endings. So, osuus changes to the stem osuute-, and then the possessive suffix -nsa is added.
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