Breakdown of Kaikki söivät kakkua vegaaneja lukuun ottamatta.
syödä
to eat
kakku
cake
kaikki
all, everything, everyone
lukuun ottamatta
except
Questions & Answers about Kaikki söivät kakkua vegaaneja lukuun ottamatta.
Why is vegaaneja in the partitive case here?
It is the object of the phrase lukuun ottamatta (except / excluding). Literally, this phrase translates to 'without taking into count' (lukuun = into count, ottamatta = without taking). Because it expresses a negative action (not taking), its object (vegaaneja) must be in the partitive case.
Can I change the word order to lukuun ottamatta vegaaneja?
Yes. The phrase lukuun ottamatta can function as both a postposition (placed after the noun, as in this sentence) and a preposition (placed before the noun). Both word orders are perfectly correct and mean the exact same thing.
Why is the verb söivät in the plural, when the English translation uses the singular 'everyone'?
In Finnish, the pronoun kaikki (all / everyone) is treated grammatically as a plural word when it refers to a group of people. Therefore, it requires the plural third-person verb form söivät, unlike English where 'everyone' takes a singular verb.
Why is kakkua in the partitive case rather than the genitive?
Here, kakku (cake) is treated as an uncountable mass noun, meaning they ate 'some cake' rather than finishing one specific, whole cake. If the sentence meant they ate the entire cake, you would use the genitive/accusative form kakun.