Breakdown of Kaikki on täällä jotenkin erilaista.
olla
to be
täällä
here
kaikki
all, everything, everyone
erilainen
different
jotenkin
somehow
Questions & Answers about Kaikki on täällä jotenkin erilaista.
Why is erilaista in the partitive case here instead of the nominative erilainen?
When kaikki means 'everything', it is treated as an abstract, uncountable concept. Because the subject is abstract, the describing adjective (the predicative) must be in the partitive case, hence erilaista. If you were referring to specific countable items, like 'All (of them) are different', you would use the plural: Kaikki ovat erilaisia.
Why does the verb use the singular on instead of the plural ovat when kaikki means 'all' or 'everything'?
When kaikki translates to 'everything', it functions as a grammatically singular subject, so it takes the singular verb on. You only use the plural ovat when kaikki means 'everyone' or 'all of them' referring to a specific group of countable nouns.
How is the word jotenkin related to the indefinite structures we are studying?
Jotenkin ('somehow') is an adverb formed from the indefinite pronoun root jo-, the same base used for jokin ('something'). While it doesn't use the vaikka structure currently being taught (like vaikka miten for 'any way at all'), it belongs to the exact same family of words used when a manner or thing is unspecified.
Is it possible to change the word order to Kaikki on jotenkin erilaista täällä?
Yes, Finnish word order is quite flexible. However, placing täällä ('here') earlier in the sentence establishes the location right away as the context. Keeping the modifier jotenkin directly in front of the adjective erilaista is the most natural way to link them together.
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