Breakdown of Koska makeanhimo on suuri, minun tekee mieli lakritsia tai salmiakkia.
olla
to be
minä
I
tai
or
koska
because
tehdä
to do
mieli
mind / opinion (mind, mood)
suuri
large, great
makeanhimo
craving for sweets
lakritsi
licorice
salmiakki
salty licorice
Questions & Answers about Koska makeanhimo on suuri, minun tekee mieli lakritsia tai salmiakkia.
Why does this sentence use minun instead of minä for "I"?
This is the "syntax of desire" (mielitekorakenne). When you use the phrase tekee mieli (to crave or to want), the person experiencing the craving must be in the genitive case. So, "I crave" translates to minun tekee mieli (literally closer to "of me the mind makes").
Why are lakritsia and salmiakkia in the partitive case?
With the tekee mieli structure, if you are craving a noun rather than an action, that noun acts as the object. Because licorice and salty licorice are uncountable mass nouns in this context, they must take the partitive case.
How is the word makeanhimo constructed?
It is a compound word made of makean (the genitive form of makea, meaning "sweet") and himo (craving or urge). In Finnish, using the genitive case for the first part of a compound word to show what the second part relates to is very common, literally translating here as "craving of sweet".
Could I use iso instead of suuri for a "great" craving?
Yes, you could technically say makeanhimo on iso, but suuri is the better choice. Suuri is usually preferred for abstract concepts, feelings, or intensities, whereas iso is more typically used for physical size. Distinguishing between the abstract suuri and physical iso makes your Finnish sound much more natural.
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