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Toinen on liian haalistunut kelvatakseen, toinen on liian ruosteinen toimiakseen.

Toinen on liian haalistunut kelvatakseen, toinen on liian ruosteinen toimiakseen.
One is too faded to be acceptable, the other is too rusty to work.
From Lesson 385:Excessive results (liian... -kseen)·Finnish

Questions & Answers about Toinen on liian haalistunut kelvatakseen, toinen on liian ruosteinen toimiakseen.

How are kelvatakseen and toimiakseen formed in this sentence?
They use the core structure of this lesson: the 1st infinitive of the verb (kelvata, toimia) + the translative ending -kse- + a possessive suffix. When paired with liian (too) and an adjective, this creates the excessive resultative meaning: 'too [adjective] to [verb]'.
Why do both of these verbs end with the possessive suffix -en?
In this grammatical structure, the infinitive must take a possessive suffix that matches the person of the subject. The subjects here are both toinen, which is grammatically third-person singular. Therefore, the verbs take the third-person suffix -en.
The translation says 'to be acceptable', but is kelvata a passive verb?
No, kelvata is an active verb. It simply means 'to be good enough', 'to pass muster', or 'to qualify'. Finnish frequently uses active verbs for concepts that English expresses with the verb 'to be' plus an adjective.
Is haalistunut considered an adjective or a verb in this sentence?
It is technically both! It is the past active participle (the NUT-participle) of the verb haalistua (to fade). However, in Finnish, these participles act exactly like regular adjectives, which allows haalistunut to follow liian just like the standard adjective ruosteinen (rusty).
Why does the sentence repeat toinen instead of using a word for 'one'?
When talking about a specific pair of things and contrasting 'one' with 'the other', Finnish strictly uses the paired structure toinen ... toinen. You would not use yksi (one) for the first item in this context.

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