Breakdown of Naapuri lainasi yhdet tikapuut, mutta meillä on silti toiset.
olla
to be
mutta
but
me
we
yksi
one
lainata
to borrow
naapuri
neighbor
toinen
other, another; second
silti
anyway / nevertheless
tikapuut
ladder
Questions & Answers about Naapuri lainasi yhdet tikapuut, mutta meillä on silti toiset.
Why do we use the plural yhdet instead of the singular yksi for 'one ladder'?
The word for ladder, tikapuut, is a 'pluralia tantum' word, meaning it only exists in the plural, much like 'scissors' or 'pants' in English. When counting plural-only nouns, Finnish requires the use of plural numerals like yhdet, kahdet, and kolmet.
Why is yhdet tikapuut in the nominative plural form rather than the partitive?
It is actually in the plural accusative case, which looks exactly like the nominative plural. Because the neighbor borrowed the entire ladder, making it a complete action with a total object, it takes the accusative. Plural numerals follow these standard object rules.
Why is toiset used to mean 'another one', and why is it plural?
The word toinen translates to 'another' or 'a second'. Because it acts as a pronoun referring back to tikapuut, which is strictly plural, it must match the noun and take the plural form toiset. You can think of it as meaning 'a second set' in this context.
In the second clause meillä on silti toiset, why is toiset in the nominative plural instead of being an object?
In Finnish 'have' constructions like meillä on, the thing you possess is grammatically the subject of the sentence, not the object. Since the subject here is a complete plural-only item (the other ladder), it takes the nominative plural.
Learn Naapuri lainasi yhdet tikapuut, mutta meillä on silti toiset and more in Finnish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free