Breakdown of Laskin kaikki trukkilavat paitsi sitä punaista.
se
it / he / she (of a person) / that
punainen
red
kaikki
all, everything, everyone
laskea
to calculate
Questions & Answers about Laskin kaikki trukkilavat paitsi sitä punaista.
Why is sitä punaista in the partitive case?
This is the core rule of the word paitsi. When used as a preposition meaning "except," it requires the noun phrase following it to be in the partitive case.
Why doesn't the case of the exception match the case of the main object, kaikki trukkilavat?
The verb laskin (I counted) requires its total object to be in the nominative plural, hence kaikki trukkilavat. However, the word paitsi creates its own mini-rule. It always forces the following word into the partitive case, completely overriding the case of the main object it refers back to.
What are the parts of the compound word trukkilavat?
It combines trukki (forklift) and lavat (pallets or platforms). A trukkilava is the standard Finnish term for a shipping pallet.
Could I just say paitsi punaista without sitä?
You could, but it changes the meaning. Saying paitsi punaista means "except red (ones in general)." Adding the partitive pronoun sitä (from se) makes it specific, meaning "except that red one."