Breakdown of Kenen veljenpoika perii omaisuuden?
kenen
whose
veljenpoika
nephew
periä
inherit
omaisuus
property (assets)
Questions & Answers about Kenen veljenpoika perii omaisuuden?
How does kenen work here, and does it change the case of the noun following it?
Kenen means "whose" (it is the genitive form of kuka, meaning "who"). Even though it is a genitive word, it doesn't force the noun following it into the genitive case. Here, veljenpoika stays in the nominative (basic) form because the nephew is the subject doing the inheriting.
Why is the word for "nephew" veljenpoika? Does this apply to all nephews?
Finnish is very specific about extended family! Veljenpoika literally means "brother's son" (veljen + poika). If the nephew were a sister's son, you would use sisarenpoika. English uses "nephew" for both, but in Finnish you must specify the exact relation.
Why is the word for property, omaisuus, in the genitive case (omaisuuden) here?
It acts as the total object of the verb periä (to inherit). Because the sentence has a clear subject (veljenpoika) performing the action, the object takes the genitive-like accusative ending -n to show that the entirety of the property is being inherited.
What kind of "property" does omaisuus refer to?