Question 1

Wait, doesn't vaikka mean although? What does it mean here with kuinka paljon?

Accepted Answer

While vaikka often means although, when you combine it with question words (like kuka, mikä, or kuinka paljon), it creates an indefinite phrase meaning any X at all or however X. Here, vaikka kuinka paljon translates to however much or as much as you like.

Question 2

Could I use mitä tahansa instead of vaikka kuinka paljon here?

Accepted Answer

Not quite. Mitä tahansa means anything (focusing on the kind of thing you take), whereas vaikka kuinka paljon specifically means any amount or however much (focusing on the quantity). Since the first half of the sentence mentions a large appetite (suuri ruokahalu), the quantity is what matters here.

Question 3

Where does the -m- in tarjottimelle come from?

Accepted Answer

The base word is tarjotin (tray). Finnish nouns ending in -in typically change to an -im- stem before adding case endings, such as the allative ending -lle. Another common example is puhelin (phone) becoming puhelimella (on the phone).

Question 4

Why do we use the allative case tarjottimelle (onto) instead of the illative case tarjottimeen (into)?

Accepted Answer

In Finnish, flat surfaces usually take the external locative cases. You put food onto the flat surface of a tray (tarjottimelle) and it rests on the tray (tarjottimella), rather than going inside an enclosed space.

Sinulla on suuri ruokahalu, joten voit ottaa tarjottimelle vaikka kuinka paljon.

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