Word
Lasiovi meni eilen rikki.
Meaning
The glass door broke yesterday.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Lasiovi meni eilen rikki.
Why is the first part of lasiovi in the nominative case (lasi) rather than the genitive?
In Finnish compound words, the first part is in the nominative case when it describes the material the object is made of. Because the door is made of glass, we combine the nominative lasi with ovi. If the first word described the purpose of the door or who it is for, it would typically be in the genitive case.
Why do we use the phrase meni rikki here instead of a verb like rikkoi?
The phrase mennä rikki is intransitive, meaning the subject itself breaks or becomes broken, without specifying who broke it. The verb rikkoa is transitive and requires an object, meaning somebody breaks something. Since the sentence just states that the door broke on its own or without an actor, meni rikki is the correct choice.
Is it okay to put the time adverb eilen at the very end of the sentence?
Yes, Lasiovi meni rikki eilen is grammatically fine, but putting eilen between the verb and rikki is much more natural. Because mennä rikki is a two-word idiom, Finnish speakers frequently drop adverbs of time or place right into the middle of it.