Breakdown of Kiina on maailman toiseksi suurin tuottaja.
olla
to be
toinen
other, another; second
maailma
world
suuri
large, great
Kiina
China
tuottaja
producer
Questions & Answers about Kiina on maailman toiseksi suurin tuottaja.
Why is the word for second (toinen) in the translative case (toiseksi)?
In Finnish, when you rank something with a superlative (like second largest or third fastest), the ordinal number must be in the translative case (-ksi). The phrase toiseksi suurin is the standard way to express second largest.
How is toiseksi formed from the base word toinen?
Finnish words ending in -nen change that ending to -se- before adding most case endings. For toinen, you take the stem toise- and add the translative suffix -ksi to get toiseksi.
If the sentence used a different case, would toiseksi change to match suurin and tuottaja?
No, it stays exactly the same. In this superlative ranking structure, the ordinal is always locked in the translative case. For example, from the second largest producer would be toiseksi suurimmalta tuottajalta. The adjective and noun change cases, but toiseksi does not.
Is the word order strictly fixed for maailman toiseksi suurin?
Yes, the genitive modifier maailman (the world's) typically comes before the phrase it modifies, just like in English. You must also keep the entire ranking chunk toiseksi suurin together directly before the noun tuottaja.
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