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Questions & Answers about Illallinen on herkullista.
Why is herkullista in the partitive instead of the nominative herkullinen?
In Finnish, certain predicates that express an experience, quality or feeling often take the partitive case to emphasize an ongoing or subjective state. Saying Illallinen on herkullista feels like “Dinner is (so) delicious,” highlighting the experience. If you used the nominative adjective (herkullinen), it would be perfectly grammatical but sound more like a neutral statement “Dinner is delicious” without that experiential nuance.
What case and number is Illallinen in?
Illallinen (“dinner”) here is in the nominative singular. It’s the subject of the sentence, and nominative marks the default form for the subject in a simple declarative sentence.
Why doesn’t Finnish use an article (like “the” or “a”) before Illallinen?
Finnish has no definite or indefinite articles. You simply say Illallinen for “(a/the) dinner.” Context tells you whether it’s specific or general.
Could I say Illallinen on herkullinen instead?
Yes. Illallinen on herkullinen is also correct and means “Dinner is delicious.” It’s more neutral and factual. Using the nominative adjective makes it a plain statement rather than emphasizing the taste experience.
How do you form the partitive of adjectives like herkullinen?
Most adjectives ending in -nen switch to -sta/-stä in the partitive singular.
- Drop -nen → herkulli-
- Add -sta → herkullista
This pattern holds for many “-nen” adjectives (e.g., kaunis → kaunista, vanha → vanaa is irregular, so watch out!).
How do you pronounce the double letters in Illallinen and herkullista?
Finnish distinguishes short and long sounds.
• ll in Illallinen is a long consonant: [ilˈlɑlːinen]. Hold the “l” slightly longer than a single “l.”
• lk in herkullista is short+long: [herˈkullista], with a longer “l” after the “ku.” Mastering length is crucial: it can change word meaning entirely!
What’s the basic word order in Illallinen on herkullista?
Finnish typically uses SVO (Subject–Verb–Object) order for transitive sentences. Here we have Subject (Illallinen), Verb (on), and Predicate (herkullista). Since there’s no direct object, it’s a simple S–V–Pred structure. You can reorder for emphasis, but this is the most neutral word order.