Breakdown of Bändin on määrä aloittaa kiertue ensi viikolla.
olla
to be
viikko
week
bändi
band
aloittaa
to start (something)
Questions & Answers about Bändin on määrä aloittaa kiertue ensi viikolla.
Why does ensi not change its case to match viikolla?
The word ensi (next) is an indeclinable modifier. Unlike most Finnish adjectives, it never takes a case ending to match the noun it describes. Even though the noun is in the adessive case (viikolla), ensi remains unchanged. This same rule applies to the word viime (last).
Why is bändi in the genitive case (bändin)?
It is the logical subject of the on määrä (is scheduled to / is supposed to) construction. Just like with necessive verbs such as täytyy or pitää, the person or thing that is scheduled to do the action must be in the genitive case.
If kiertue is the object of the action, why doesn't it have the accusative -n ending?
Because on määrä is an impersonal necessive structure. When a sentence uses a necessive construction (like täytyy, pitää, or on määrä), any total object drops the -n ending and takes the nominative-like form.
What does the word määrä mean outside of this phrase?
On its own, määrä typically means "amount" or "quantity". It can also mean "destination" or "purpose". In the fixed structure [genitive] on määrä [infinitive], it expresses intent or a set plan, translating naturally to "is scheduled to" or "is supposed to".