Breakdown of Vuokrasimme vanhan flipperin kotiin yhdellä kympillä.
vanha
old
yksi
one
koti
the home
vuokrata
to rent
flipperi
pinball machine
kymppi
tenner
Questions & Answers about Vuokrasimme vanhan flipperin kotiin yhdellä kympillä.
How does the phrase yhdellä kympillä translate, and why is it in the adessive case?
The phrase means 'for one tenner' or 'for ten euros'. In Finnish, the adessive case (-lla/-llä) is used to express the exact price in a transaction. When you buy, sell, or rent something for a specific amount, that price goes into the adessive, acting like the English word 'for'. Notice that both the number (yhdellä) and the noun (kympillä) must agree in this case.
What does the word kympillä come from, and is it common to use it for money?
The base word is kymppi, which is a very common everyday word for a tenner, a ten-euro note, or the number ten. In the context of prices, kympillä naturally translates to 'for ten euros'.
Why is kotiin in the illative (into) case here rather than a phrase meaning 'for the home'?
Finnish heavily relies on directional cases. When you acquire something and bring it to a place, the destination takes a 'movement towards' case. Because the pinball machine is ending up inside the house, Finnish logic dictates that it is rented 'into the home' (kotiin).
Why do the words vanhan and flipperin end in -n?
They form the direct object of the verb vuokrasimme. Because renting is a completed action and refers to one whole item, the object takes the singular accusative case. For singular nouns and adjectives, this case ending is -n, which looks identical to the genitive case.
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