Breakdown of Resepti vaatii kaksi desilitraa sokeria ja desilitran vettä.
ja
and
kaksi
two
sokeri
sugar
vesi
water
vaatia
to claim (demand)
resepti
recipe
desilitra
deciliter
Questions & Answers about Resepti vaatii kaksi desilitraa sokeria ja desilitran vettä.
Why is the first measurement desilitraa but the second one is desilitran?
The verb vaatia (to require) takes a total object here because the recipe calls for specific amounts. When a number greater than one is the total object, the number stays in its basic nominative form (kaksi) and forces the word after it into the partitive singular (desilitraa). For a single unit, the singular total object takes the -n ending (the genitive-accusative), which is why we see desilitran.
Why are the substances sokeria and vettä in the partitive case here?
They are uncountable mass nouns that follow a measure word. In Finnish, the substance being measured must be in the partitive case, regardless of what grammatical case the measure word itself is in.
Could I say yhden desilitran instead of just desilitran for the water?
Yes, that is grammatically correct. However, Finnish frequently drops the word for 'one' (yksi or its inflected form yhden) when the noun's singular form makes it obvious that there is exactly one unit.
Does the verb vaatia usually take a total object, or a partitive object?
It depends on what is being required. It takes a total object (accusative) when you require a specific, complete amount, like the exact measurements in this recipe. It takes a partitive object when requiring an abstract or indefinite amount, as in Se vaatii aikaa (It requires time).
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