Breakdown of Kiersimme koko illan ja näimme kauniita tarjoilupöytiä neljissä kihlajaisissa.
ja
and
kaunis
beautiful
neljä
four
ilta
evening
Questions & Answers about Kiersimme koko illan ja näimme kauniita tarjoilupöytiä neljissä kihlajaisissa.
Why is the number four in the plural inessive form neljissä rather than the singular neljässä?
The noun it modifies, kihlajaiset (engagement party), is a plural-only noun. When a numeral modifies a plural-only noun, the numeral must also be plural and match the noun's case. Since we are saying 'at four parties' using the inessive case, both words take the plural inessive ending, giving us neljissä kihlajaisissa.
Why does ilta take the -n ending in koko illan?
Time expressions that show the total duration of an action act like a total object, taking the accusative case. For singular nouns, this looks exactly like the genitive -n ending, showing that the action lasted for the entire evening.
Why is the object kauniita tarjoilupöytiä in the partitive plural?
A plural object takes the partitive case when it represents an indefinite amount. Because they saw an unspecified number of beautiful serving tables rather than a specific, closed set of them, the partitive plural is required.
What kind of word is kihlajaisissa, and what is its base form?
The base form is kihlajaiset (engagement party). The -jaiset ending is very common in Finnish for naming celebrations or ceremonies, which are almost always plural-only words. Other examples include läksiäiset (farewell party) and hautajaiset (funeral).