Questions & Answers about Puolet vastaajista on lomalla.
Why do we use puolet here instead of puoli for 'half'?
While puoli means a single half (like half an apple or half an hour), we use the plural form puolet when talking about half of a countable group of things or people.
Why is the verb on in the singular when referring to multiple people?
In Finnish, when a quantity or fraction like puolet is the subject of the sentence, the verb takes the third-person singular form (on) rather than the plural (ovat). The grammar treats 'half of the group' as a single mathematical amount.
Why is the word for respondents in the elative case (vastaajista)?
To express 'of' or 'out of' a group in Finnish, you use the elative case (-sta or -stä). So, puolet vastaajista translates literally to 'half out of the respondents'.
How is the word vastaajista built?
It comes from the verb vastata (to answer). Adding the -ja suffix makes it the person who answers: vastaaja (respondent). Then we add the plural -i- marker and the elative ending -sta, giving us vastaajista.