Breakdown of Maan teollisuus on Euroopan kolmanneksi suurin.
olla
to be
maa
country
kolmas
third
suuri
large, great
Eurooppa
Europe
teollisuus
industry
Questions & Answers about Maan teollisuus on Euroopan kolmanneksi suurin.
Why is the word for "third" in the translative case (kolmanneksi)?
This is the standard Finnish structure for ranking superlatives. To say "the second biggest", "the third fastest", and so on, you put the ordinal number in the translative case (ending in -ksi) and follow it with the superlative adjective.
How do we get kolmanneksi from the basic number three (kolme)?
First, you need the ordinal number "third", which is kolmas. Words ending in -as use the stem -ante- before adding most case endings. When you add the translative ending -ksi to this stem, consonant gradation weakens the -nt- into -nn-, giving you kolmanneksi.
Why doesn't the superlative suurin take the translative case to match kolmanneksi?
In this specific ranking structure, the ordinal and the superlative do not agree in case. The ordinal is locked into the translative case, functioning almost like an adverb to modify the adjective. The superlative suurin describes the subject teollisuus, so they are both in the basic nominative case.
What is the function of Euroopan being in the genitive case here?
In Finnish, the scope of a superlative (the group you are comparing the subject against) is usually expressed with a genitive word placed right before the superlative phrase. Just as in English, the genitive Euroopan defines where this industry ranks.
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