Breakdown of Myyjä tarjosi minulle ylimääräisen alennuksen.
minä
I
alennus
the discount
tarjota
to offer
myyjä
the salesperson
Questions & Answers about Myyjä tarjosi minulle ylimääräisen alennuksen.
What is the verb tarjosi and how is it formed?
tarjosi is the 3rd person singular past tense of tarjota (“to offer”). Its basic conjugation in the past tense is:
• minä tarjosin
• sinä tarjosit
• hän tarjosi
• me tarjosimme
• te tarjositte
• he tarjosivat
So tarjosi means “(he/she) offered.”
Why is minulle used instead of minä?
minulle is the allative case of minä (formed with the suffix –lle), and it marks the indirect object (“to me”). In English you say “to me,” so Finnish uses minulle instead of the nominative minä.
What case is ylimääräisen alennuksen, and why does it end in -n?
It’s the singular accusative (definite object) form. In Finnish a definite singular object takes the same ending (-n) as the genitive:
• Nominative: ylimääräinen alennus
• Accusative/Genitive: ylimääräisen alennuksen
Both the adjective and the noun add -n to show that it’s a specific discount you received.
Is alennuksen genitive or accusative?
The form alennuksen doubles as genitive singular (possession) and accusative singular (definite direct object). In this sentence it’s accusative because it’s the object of tarjosi (“offered a discount”).