Breakdown of Kuka tuuraa johtajaa varahenkilön sijasta?
kuka
who
johtaja
the director
sijasta
instead of (+ noun)
varahenkilö
deputy
tuurata
to fill in for
Questions & Answers about Kuka tuuraa johtajaa varahenkilön sijasta?
Why is varahenkilö in the genitive case here (varahenkilön)?
It is governed by the postposition sijasta (instead of). Like most Finnish postpositions, sijasta requires the noun it follows to take the genitive case.
Could I use puolesta rather than sijasta in this sentence?
You could, but it changes the meaning completely. Using varahenkilön sijasta means someone is stepping in instead of the deputy (the deputy is not doing the covering). If you used varahenkilön puolesta, it would mean someone is covering for the manager on behalf of the deputy (perhaps doing the deputy a favor because the deputy is also unavailable).
Why is the manager (johtajaa) in the partitive case?
The verb tuurata (to cover for, to stand in for) is a partitive verb. Whenever you express who you are covering for, that person's noun must take the partitive case.
What is the literal meaning of the word varahenkilö?
It is a compound of vara (spare, reserve, backup) and henkilö (person). While it translates smoothly as deputy or proxy in a professional context, it literally just means a backup person.
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