Questions & Answers about Kokki on lisännyt hiivan litraan vettä.
Why is the phrase litraan vettä and not litraan veteen?
This is a measure phrase. The measure word (litra) changes case depending on its role in the sentence. Here, it is in the illative case (litraan). However, the substance being measured (vesi) always stays in the partitive case (vettä) as a modifier, no matter what case the measure word is in.
Why is litraan in the illative (into) case?
The verb lisätä (to add) requires the place you are adding something to be in the illative case (the -Vn ending). In Finnish, you add things into a target, so the yeast is added into the liter.
Why is the object hiivan (with an -n) instead of the partitive hiivaa?
Using the genitive-accusative ending -n makes it a total object. It implies the cook added the yeast—meaning the specific, entire amount of yeast they had prepared for this recipe. If the sentence used hiivaa (partitive), it would mean they added some yeast.
Could I change the word order and say vettä litraan?
Not in this context. In measure phrases, the measure word or container (the head noun) must come first, followed immediately by the substance in the partitive. So it must be litraan vettä (into a liter of water).