Learn Finnish: Ensimmäinen laskelma oli valmis tiistaiksi, lukuun ottamatta yhtä pientä mittausta. - The first calculation was ready by Tuesday, except for one small measurement.

Word

Ensimmäinen laskelma oli valmis tiistaiksi, lukuun ottamatta yhtä pientä mittausta.

Meaning

The first calculation was ready by Tuesday, except for one small measurement.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Finnish

Lesson

Approximate measurements (reilut, vajaat)

Breakdown of Ensimmäinen laskelma oli valmis tiistaiksi, lukuun ottamatta yhtä pientä mittausta.

Questions & Answers about Ensimmäinen laskelma oli valmis tiistaiksi, lukuun ottamatta yhtä pientä mittausta.

Why is 'tiistai' in the translative case (tiistaiksi)?

The translative case is used here to indicate a deadline or a time by which something happens. So tiistaiksi means 'by Tuesday' or 'for Tuesday'.

How does the phrase 'lukuun ottamatta' literally translate?

It literally translates to 'without taking into the count'. It is formed by lukuun (the illative or 'into' case of luku, meaning number or count) and ottamatta (the 'without doing' or abessive form of the verb ottaa, to take). Together, they act as a phrase meaning 'except for' or 'excluding'.

Can 'lukuun ottamatta' be placed after the noun instead of before it?

Yes! Lukuun ottamatta can act as either a preposition (coming before the noun) or a postposition (coming after it). In this sentence, it is used as a preposition before yhtä pientä mittausta. If used as a postposition, it would be yhtä pientä mittausta lukuun ottamatta. Both are completely correct and mean the same thing.

Why is 'yhtä pientä mittausta' in the partitive case?

The phrase lukuun ottamatta governs the partitive case. Because we are excluding 'one small measurement', all three words in that noun phrase (yksi, pieni, mittaus) must be in the partitive, giving us yhtä pientä mittausta.