Question 1

How does the formal reciprocal structure work in toinen toistaan vastaan?

Accepted Answer

To express "each other" formally, Finnish uses the word toinen twice. The first toinen always remains in the basic nominative case. The second takes the grammatical case required by the sentence's context, followed by a possessive suffix that matches the subject. Since the subject ottelijat (the fighters) is a 3rd person plural ("they"), the 3rd person suffix -an is added to the end.

Question 2

Why is the second toinen specifically in the partitive case (toista-) before the suffix?

Accepted Answer

The case is dictated by the word vastaan (against). Vastaan is a postposition that requires the word immediately preceding it to be in the partitive case. Therefore, toinen becomes toista, and when you attach the possessive suffix -an, you get toistaan.

Question 3

Can I just say toisiaan vastaan instead of toinen toistaan vastaan?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely! Toisiaan vastaan is the standard, everyday way to say "against each other." The two-word structure toinen toistaan... is simply a more formal, distributive alternative. It means the exact same thing but carries a slightly more literary tone, emphasizing "one against the other."

Question 4

What verb type is sparraavat, and how is it conjugated?

Accepted Answer

Sparrata (to spar) is a Type 4 verb, adapted from English. As with other Type 4 verbs (like haluta or pelätä), you form the stem by dropping the -ta / -tä ending and adding an -a- (or -ä-). This gives the stem sparraa-, to which you add the 3rd person plural personal ending -vat.

Ottelijat sparraavat kehässä toinen toistaan vastaan.

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