Learn Finnish: Onko ehdokas kiitollinen uudesta työpaikasta? - Is the candidate grateful for the new job?

The adjective kiitollinen (grateful) has a specific rule called rection: it requires the thing you are grateful for to be in the elative case. While in English you are grateful for something, in Finnish you are grateful out of it. Both the describing adjective and the noun must match and take the ending, becoming uudesta työpaikasta.

If the candidate was grateful to someone instead of for a job, would we still use the elative case?

No, the case changes depending on the target. You are grateful for something using the elative case (kiitollinen jostakin), but you are grateful to a person using the allative case (kiitollinen jollekin). For example, grateful to the boss would be kiitollinen pomolle.

How does the word uusi (new) become uudesta?

Old Finnish words ending in -si (like uusi or vesi) change their -si to -te- when an ending is added, making the strong stem uute-. Because adding the -sta ending closes the syllable, consonant gradation kicks in and softens the t to a d, resulting in uudesta.

Why is there only one k in työpaikasta when the base word is työpaikka?