Breakdown of Mikä on Aasian kolmanneksi suurin aavikko?
olla
to be
mikä
what
Aasia
Asia
kolmas
third
suuri
large, great
aavikko
desert
Questions & Answers about Mikä on Aasian kolmanneksi suurin aavikko?
Why does the word for 'third' take the translative ending -ksi in kolmanneksi?
This is the standard Finnish structure for ranking superlatives. To say 'second biggest', 'third fastest', etc., you put the ordinal number into the translative case (-ksi) and follow it with the superlative adjective. Here, kolmas (third) becomes kolmanneksi before suurin (largest).
How do we get from the basic dictionary form kolmas to the stem kolmanne-?
Ordinal numbers ending in -s undergo a stem change before taking case endings. The -s turns into -nte- or -nne- due to consonant gradation. For kolmas, the strong grade stem is kolmante- and the weak grade stem is kolmanne-. Because the translative ending -ksi closes the syllable, it triggers consonant gradation, so we use the weak stem: kolmanneksi.
Why doesn't the translative case on kolmanneksi force the rest of the noun phrase (suurin aavikko) into the translative case too?
In this specific ranking structure, the ordinal number acts almost like an adverb modifying the adjective (suurin), rather than a standard adjective modifying the noun (aavikko). Therefore, it doesn't trigger case agreement. Suurin aavikko stays in the nominative case as the subject complement of the verb on.
Could I use the inessive case Aasiassa instead of the genitive Aasian?
Yes, you could say Mikä on kolmanneksi suurin aavikko Aasiassa? Both are very common. Aasian translates directly to 'Asia's', while Aasiassa means 'in Asia'. The meaning is identical, but placing the genitive modifier Aasian before the adjective phrase is a very typical and elegant Finnish structure.
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