Breakdown of Nämä maat ovat rikkaita, ja elintaso on korkea.
tämä
this
olla
to be
ja
and
maa
country
korkea
high, tall
rikas
rich
elintaso
standard of living
Questions & Answers about Nämä maat ovat rikkaita, ja elintaso on korkea.
Why is rikkaita in the partitive plural instead of the nominative plural (rikkaat)?
For plural subjects, the predicative adjective is almost always in the partitive plural (rikkaita) when simply describing what kind of things the subjects are. You only use the nominative plural (rikkaat) if you are equating the subject to an exhaustive, closed group (which would imply "These countries are the rich ones").
This lesson covers the analytical future. How would you change the first clause to say "These countries will be rich" using the tulla construction?
You conjugate tulla to match the plural subject (tulevat) and put the main verb olla into the third infinitive illative (olemaan). The result is: Nämä maat tulevat olemaan rikkaita.
What is the origin of the elin- prefix in elintaso (standard of living)?
It relates to the verb elää (to live). While the standalone noun elin means "organ" (as in a body part), the prefix elin- refers to conditions of life or living. You will also see it in B2-level vocabulary like elintarvike (grocery/foodstuff) and elinympäristö (living environment).
Why is korkea in the nominative case when the earlier adjective (rikkaita) is in the partitive?
The cases depend on their respective subjects. Rikkaita describes maat, which is plural, triggering the plural partitive rule for descriptions. Korkea describes elintaso, which is a singular concept. Because it acts as a singular, countable-type noun rather than a mass noun, its describing adjective stays in the nominative.
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