Breakdown of Hän osti kahdet rintaliivit vaatekaupasta.
hän
he / she
kaksi
two
ostaa
to buy
vaatekauppa
clothing store
rintaliivit
bra
Questions & Answers about Hän osti kahdet rintaliivit vaatekaupasta.
Why is it kahdet rintaliivit instead of kaksi rintaliiviä?
The word rintaliivit (bra) is a plural-only noun, meaning it only exists in the plural form, much like the words pants or scissors in English. To count plural-only nouns, you must use plural numerals, so kaksi becomes kahdet.
Why is the object kahdet rintaliivit in the nominative form instead of the genitive or partitive?
In Finnish, a total object (indicating a fully completed action, like buying the items entirely) takes the nominative plural form if the word itself is plural. Since rintaliivit is grammatically always plural, the whole phrase kahdet rintaliivit acts as a plural total object, taking the basic -t ending.
What exactly does the word rintaliivit consist of?
It is a compound of rinta (chest or breast) and liivit (vest or bodice). Notice that while English uses the singular word bra, Finnish treats it as a plural garment.
If she bought three bras, would the ending of rintaliivit change?
No, the noun stays exactly the same: kolmet rintaliivit. Only the number changes its stem to the plural form (such as yhdet, kahdet, kolmet). The noun itself is already in its required plural form.
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