Questions & Answers about Hän työntää kuulaa 20 metriä.
The lesson is about using the total object case for distances. But metriä is in the partitive here. Where is the total object?
The number itself, kaksikymmentä (20), is the total object! When an exact measurement acts as an object, it takes the accusative case (which looks exactly like the nominative for numbers). The word metriä is only in the partitive because it's a noun following a number greater than one.
Why is kuulaa in the partitive case, if the sentence has a specific distance?
The verb työntää (to push) typically takes a partitive object because pushing is a continuous action without a built-in endpoint. So, the direct object of the pushing (kuulaa) stays partitive, while the specific distance achieved (20) takes the total object case.
Does työntää kuulaa specifically mean "to put the shot" (the sport)?
Yes! While työntää literally means "to push" and kuula can mean any solid heavy ball (like a cannonball), using them together is the standard way to talk about shot put. The sport itself is called kuulantyöntö.
If I make the sentence negative, does the case of the distance change?
Yes, distance measurements follow the exact same rules as normal objects. In a negative sentence, the measurement must change to the partitive case. You would say Hän ei työnnä kuulaa kahtakymmentä metriä, where the number 20 (kahtakymmentä) becomes partitive to match the negative verb.
Learn Hän työntää kuulaa 20 metriä 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