Learn Finnish: Kaksi kymmenennestä on viidennes.

Kaksi kymmenennestä on viidennes.

Two tenths is a fifth.

Breakdown of Kaksi kymmenennestä on viidennes.

Questions & Answers about Kaksi kymmenennestä on viidennes.

Why is the word for 'tenth' here kymmenennestä rather than just kymmenennes?

Because it follows the number kaksi (two). In Finnish, any noun following a number greater than one must be in the partitive singular case. Since formal fractions act like regular nouns, kymmenennes takes the partitive ending to become kymmenennestä.

How exactly is the fraction kymmenennes built from the number ten (kymmenen)?

Formal fractions are built using the ordinal form. The ordinal for 'tenth' is kymmenes. To make it a mathematical fraction, Finnish attaches the suffix -nes to the ordinal stem, resulting in kymmenennes.

Why is the verb on in the singular when the subject is 'two tenths'?

In Finnish, when a subject starts with a numeral (other than one) followed by a partitive noun—like kaksi kymmenennestä—it is treated grammatically as a single chunk or mass. Therefore, the verb requires the third-person singular form on instead of the plural ovat.

I've learned earlier that 'fifth' is viides. What is the difference between viides and viidennes?

Viides is an ordinal number used for a sequence, like 'the fifth day' (viides päivä). Viidennes is the noun form specifically for the mathematical fraction 'a fifth' (1/5). The -nes suffix is what turns the ordinal sequence into a fraction.