Breakdown of Ystävällisin terveisin, Anna Mäkinen.
ystävällisin terveisin
kind regards (formal closing)
Questions & Answers about Ystävällisin terveisin, Anna Mäkinen.
Why does ystävällisin look like a superlative ('the most friendly') here?
It is actually a coincidence! In this sentence, ystävällisin is the instructive plural form of ystävällinen (friendly). The plural stem is ystävällisi-, and adding the instructive ending -n makes it ystävällisin. It just happens to look exactly like the superlative nominative singular.
What case is terveisin, and what does it literally mean?
It is in the instructive case, which is almost always used in the plural and translates to 'with' or 'by means of'. The base word is terveinen (usually used in the plural as terveiset), so terveisin literally means 'with greetings'.
Why do we use terveisin instead of the basic plural terveiset?
Terveiset is the nominative plural. You use it when greetings are the subject of the sentence, for example, Terveiset Annalta! ('Greetings from Anna!'). As a letter sign-off meaning 'with regards', you need the instructive case terveisin.
Is the comma after terveisin mandatory?
No, and in fact, traditional Finnish grammar rules recommend omitting the comma after closing greetings like Ystävällisin terveisin. However, due to English influence, many Finns now add a comma anyway, as seen in this sentence. Both are widely accepted in everyday emails.
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