Breakdown of Kiina on maailman toiseksi suurin talous.
olla
to be
toinen
other, another; second
maailma
world
suuri
large, great
Questions & Answers about Kiina on maailman toiseksi suurin talous.
Why is toinen in the translative case (toiseksi) here?
In Finnish, to express that something is the "second largest", "third fastest", etc., the ordinal number is put in the translative case (-ksi) and is followed by the superlative adjective. Here, toiseksi pairs with the superlative suurin to mean "second largest".
Why don't the superlative suurin and the noun talous match the translative case of toiseksi?
Because toiseksi functions as an independent adverb-like modifier to the superlative. The ordinal number is locked in the translative case for this ranking structure, while the superlative adjective (suurin) and its noun (talous) take whatever case the rest of the sentence demands. Here, that is the nominative.
How does the word maailman fit into this superlative structure?
Finnish uses the genitive case to define the scope or group for a superlative. While English might say "the largest in the world", Finnish says "the world's largest" (maailman suurin). The standard phrase order for rankings is: genitive scope + translative ordinal + superlative adjective.
Does this translative pattern change if the sentence itself is in a different case?