Breakdown of Se oli suurin oivallus, minkä olen koskaan saanut.
olla
to be
se
it / he / she (of a person) / that
koskaan
never / ever
saada
to get
Questions & Answers about Se oli suurin oivallus, minkä olen koskaan saanut.
Why do we use minkä in this sentence instead of jonka?
Normally, joka (or its forms like jonka) is used to refer back to a specific noun. However, when the noun phrase includes a superlative adjective like suurin, Finnish grammar prefers the relative pronoun mikä.
Why is the relative pronoun in the form minkä rather than the basic form mikä?
The relative pronoun acts as the direct object of the verb saanut (received). In Finnish, total objects in affirmative sentences take the accusative case that looks like the genitive, which gives us the -n ending in minkä.
In English we usually 'have' an insight. Why does the Finnish sentence use saanut?
The verb saada (to get or receive) is the natural choice in Finnish for acquiring an idea or realization. You 'get' an insight (saada oivallus) rather than just possessing it.
Why is koskaan placed exactly where it is?
In compound tenses like the perfect tense here, adverbs of time such as koskaan typically sit right between the auxiliary verb (olen) and the main participle (saanut), very much like 'have ever received' in English.