Breakdown of En tiedä, kenen on määrä kylvää ohra.
olla
to be
kuka
who
ei
no / not (negative verb)
tietää
to know
Questions & Answers about En tiedä, kenen on määrä kylvää ohra.
Why do we use the genitive form kenen instead of the basic kuka for "who"?
The phrase on määrä (as well as on tarkoitus) requires its subject to be in the genitive case. Since the logical subject of this clause is the question word "who", the basic form kuka changes to its genitive form, kenen. Literally, it translates to "whose schedule is it to sow".
Why is the object ohra in the basic nominative case, rather than ohran?
The on määrä construction works exactly like a necessity structure (similar to täytyy or on pakko). In these types of sentences, a total object drops its typical genitive ending (-n) and is put into the nominative case instead. So, "he sows the barley" is hän kylvää ohran, but "he is scheduled to sow the barley" becomes hänen on määrä kylvää ohra.
Could I use on tarkoitus instead of on määrä here?
Yes, the grammar would work exactly the same way, but there is a slight difference in nuance. Kenen on määrä implies an external schedule, duty, or arrangement ("who is supposed to" or "whose job is it"). Kenen on tarkoitus focuses more on a personal plan or intention ("who intends to").
Why is there a comma before kenen?