Questions & Answers about Hän söi karkkeja kymmenittäin.
How is the word kymmenittäin formed from the number ten?
It comes from kymmenen (ten). The distributive suffix -ittain/-ittäin (meaning "by the" or "in groups of") attaches to the plural stem of a word. The plural stem of kymmenen is kymmeni-, so we get kymmenittäin ("by the tens").
Why does the suffix use -ittäin instead of -ittain here?
Because of vowel harmony. The root word kymmenen contains the front vowel 'y' (along with the neutral vowels 'e' and 'i'). Words with front vowels take the front-vowel version of the suffix, which is -ittäin.
Why is karkkeja in the partitive plural case?
The partitive plural karkkeja is used because the action is open-ended. Eating candies "by the tens" implies an unspecified, ongoing amount rather than a finished, exact number of candies being consumed.
Can I attach this suffix to other numbers?
Absolutely! It is very common to use this suffix with large numbers to emphasize scale. For example, you can say sadoittain (by the hundreds, from sata) or tuhansittain (by the thousands, from tuhat).
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