Breakdown of Tämä ei ole maailman kolmanneksi suurin vesiputous.
tämä
this
olla
to be
ei
no / not (negative verb)
maailma
world
kolmas
third
suuri
large, great
vesiputous
waterfall
Questions & Answers about Tämä ei ole maailman kolmanneksi suurin vesiputous.
Why is the word for 'third' (kolmas) in the translative case (kolmanneksi)?
This is the standard Finnish formula for ranking superlatives, like 'second best' or 'third largest'. You put the ordinal number in the translative case (-ksi) and follow it with the superlative adjective. Here, the base word kolmas changes to its stem kolmanne- before adding the suffix, becoming kolmanneksi.
Why doesn't the adjective suurin match the translative case of kolmanneksi?
In this specific ranking structure, the ordinal number acts as a fixed modifier for the adjective. The translative ending (-ksi) is locked onto the number, so the two words don't need to agree in case. The adjective (suurin) and the noun (vesiputous) simply take their case from their grammatical role in the sentence, which is the nominative here.
Since this is a negative sentence (ei ole), shouldn't vesiputous be in the partitive case?
Not in this situation. With the verb olla (to be), a singular, countable noun acting as a subject complement (identifying what the thing is) typically stays in the nominative case, even if the sentence is negative. You would only use the partitive here if it were an uncountable noun, like saying 'This is not water' (Tämä ei ole vettä).
Instead of the genitive maailman, could I use the inessive case and say maailmassa ('in the world')?
Grammatically yes, but using the genitive maailman is by far the most natural and common choice in Finnish for superlative expressions. Just like in English, saying 'the world's third largest' (maailman kolmanneksi suurin) is the standard, preferred phrasing over 'the third largest in the world'.
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