Breakdown of Onko meillä varaa ostaa uusi purjevene tai pelata golfia?
olla
to be
me
we
uusi
new
tai
or
ostaa
to buy
pelata
to play
vara
means / funds
purjevene
sailboat
golf
golf
Questions & Answers about Onko meillä varaa ostaa uusi purjevene tai pelata golfia?
How does the phrase meillä on varaa translate to 'we can afford'?
Finnish doesn't have a single verb for 'to afford.' Instead, it uses the possessive structure (the adessive pronoun meillä + on) with the partitive noun varaa (meaning means, resources, or wealth). You follow it directly with a first infinitive verb like ostaa or pelata to state what you have the resources to do.
Why is the object uusi purjevene in the nominative form instead of taking the accusative -n ending?
This is a crucial object rule for B2 learners. In possessive sentences like meillä on..., there is no grammatical subject in the nominative case. Because of this 'missing' subject, a total object of the infinitive verb drops the usual -n ending and appears in the nominative form, which is uusi purjevene here.
Since the object rule puts the sailboat in the nominative, why is golfia in the partitive case?
The verb pelata (to play a sport or game) strictly requires a partitive object. A verb's inherent partitive requirement always overrides the total object rules. Therefore, while buying a sailboat allows a total object, playing golf demands the partitive golfia.
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