Breakdown of Tarkistamme tämän erän lukumäärän laskemalla trukkilavat, paitsi että yksi on hukassa.
tämä
this
olla
to be
yksi
one
että
that (conjunction)
tarkistaa
to check
laskea
to calculate
paitsi
except (for), besides
hukassa
lost
lukumäärä
quantity
erä
batch
trukkilava
pallet
Questions & Answers about Tarkistamme tämän erän lukumäärän laskemalla trukkilavat, paitsi että yksi on hukassa.
Why do we use paitsi että here instead of just paitsi?
Because we are introducing a full new clause with its own subject and verb (yksi on hukassa). The phrase paitsi että translates to "except that" and acts as a connector. If you just used paitsi ("except"), it would have to be followed by a noun in the partitive case, such as paitsi yhtä (except one).
How does the form laskemalla translate to "by counting"?
This is the third infinitive (the -ma- or -mä- form) of the verb laskea (to count), put into the adessive case (-lla). In Finnish, this specific grammar structure is the standard way to express "by doing" an action.
Why is lukumäärän in the -n form, while the other object trukkilavat ends in -t?
Both words act as complete (total) objects for their respective verbs. The object of the main verb tarkistamme is singular, so lukumäärä takes the standard genitive-looking accusative ending (-n). However, the object of laskemalla is plural, and total plural objects in Finnish always take the standard nominative plural ending (-t).
What does on hukassa literally mean, and why does it use the inessive (-ssa) case?
Hukassa is a very common fixed expression meaning "lost" or "missing". The root word hukka means "loss", "waste", or traditionally "wolf". Putting it in the inessive case (-ssa) expresses being in a state of loss, so it literally translates to "in loss".
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