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Questions & Answers about Myyjä antaa minulle kuitin.
Why does kuitin end in -n instead of being kuitti in the nominative?
In Finnish a transitive verb’s object can be either partitive or non-partitive (nominative/accusative). When the action is complete and the object is a single, definite item, you use the non-partitive accusative, which for common nouns takes the -n ending. Although it looks like the genitive, here kuitin actually marks the direct object in a finished action.
What case is minulle, and what does it mean?
Minulle is the allative case (often called “dative” in English). It literally means “to me” or “for me.” You form it by adding -lle to the base (nominative or genitive) of the pronoun or noun.
Why is minulle used instead of minua?
Minua is the partitive form of minä, used for partial objects, quantities, or ongoing actions. Here you need to express the recipient or destination of something (“to me”), so you use the allative minulle, not the partitive minua.
There’s no word for “the” or “a” before myyjä, minulle, or kuitin. Why doesn’t Finnish use articles?
Finnish doesn’t have articles like English. Instead, case endings and context convey definiteness or indefiniteness. So myyjä can mean “a seller” or “the seller” depending on the situation.
Why is the word order Myyjä antaa minulle kuitin (SVO)? Can I change it?
The neutral Finnish word order is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO), but because cases mark grammatical roles, you can rearrange words for emphasis:
- Minulle myyjä antaa kuitin. (Highlights to me)
- Kuitin myyjä antaa minulle. (Highlights the receipt)
- Myyjä kuitin minulle antaa. (More poetic or marked) The standard, unmarked form is SVO.
What is the form and conjugation of antaa here?
Antaa is the infinitive “to give.” In Myyjä antaa… it’s in the present tense, 3rd person singular, meaning “(he/she/it) gives.”
How would I turn this sentence into a negative?
Use the negative auxiliary ei plus the main verb’s connegative (stem only), and switch the object to partitive:
Myyjä ei anna minulle kuittia.
Notice kuittia is the partitive of kuitti, required after a negative verb.
How do I ask “Can I have a receipt?” or “May the seller give me a receipt?”
Most Finns simply say:
- Saanko kuitin? (“May I get a receipt?”)
Or more politely: - Voinko saada kuitin, kiitos? (“Could I get a receipt, please?”)
You seldom mention myyjä because it’s understood who’s giving it.