Breakdown of Opettaja on reilu kaikkia kohtaan.
olla
to be
opettaja
teacher
kaikki
all, everything, everyone
reilu
fair (just)
kohtaan
towards (in attitude), regarding
Questions & Answers about Opettaja on reilu kaikkia kohtaan.
This lesson is about adjectives taking the allative case, so why doesn't this sentence use the allative (kaikille)?
With adjectives expressing interpersonal attitude like reilu (fair), you can often use either the allative case (reilu kaikille) or the partitive with the postposition kohtaan (reilu kaikkia kohtaan). They mean the same thing, but using kohtaan puts a slightly stronger emphasis on the target of the behavior.
Why is the word for "everyone" in the partitive case (kaikkia) here?
Kohtaan is a postposition that always requires the preceding word to be in the partitive case. So, if you choose the kohtaan structure instead of using the allative case, the target of the attitude must take the partitive.
Why is it kaikkia (partitive plural) instead of kaikkea (partitive singular)?
The pronoun kaikki shifts in meaning based on whether it is singular or plural. The singular partitive kaikkea usually means "everything", while the plural partitive kaikkia means "everyone" or "all people". Since the teacher is fair to people, the plural form is used.
Does reilu always mean "fair"?
While "fair" or "just" is the exact meaning when talking about interpersonal behavior, reilu is a versatile word. In other contexts, it can mean "generous", "ample", or "a good amount" (for example, reilu annos means a generous portion).
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