Monikon partitiivi <> The Plural Partitive
You know by now how the singular partitive works and how it's used. You know that after a number, we use the singular partitive. You also know that we use the partitive form when the sentence is negative or when we use a partitive-verb. But what if the object is plural? That's when we use the plural partitive.
For example:
Minä odotan ystävää. ---> I'm waiting for a friend.
We know it's only one friend because we've used the singular partitive, and it's partitive because odottaa is a partitive-verb.
BUT...
Minä ododan ystäviä. ---> I'm waiting for some friends.
We use the plural-partitive when we are talking about an unspecific number of something. All we know here is that I'm waiting for more than 1 friend. It could be 2, could be 10, could be 5,000.
Here's an example that I always use when teaching the plural partitive. It's useful because it also reminds you of the objekti rules:
Minä avaan ikkunan. I will open a window
Minä avaan ikkunaa. I will open a window (but only slightly/not completely)
Minä en avaa ikkunaa. I will not open a window.
Minun täytyy avata ikkuna. I have to open a window.
Avataan ikkuna. Let's open a window.
Avaa ikkuna! Open a window!
When we're talking about just 1 window, we have to think carefully about what clause we are using and what form we have to put the object into. The object has to be either nominative, accusative or partitive.
When we're talking about more that one window however, there's a lot less thinking involved. All we have to do is think "Do I mean all of the windows, or just some of them?"
If we're talking about all of something, we use the plural basic form or monikon perusmuoto. That's the one that ends with the letter t. However if we don't mean all of the windows, if we are just talking about some windows or more than 1 window, we use the plural partitive. Let's look at the same sentences agian but using the plural form of ikkuna.
Minä avaan ikkunat I will open (all) the windows.
Minä avaan ikkunoita. I will open some windows.
Minä en avaa ikkunoita. I will not open the/any windows.
Minun täytyy avata ikkunat. I have to open (all) the windows.
Minun täytyy avata ikkunoita. I have to open some windows.
Avataan ikkunat. Let's open (all) the windows.
Avataan ikkunoita. Let's open some windows.
Avaa ikkunat! Open (all) the windows!
Avaa ikkunoita. Open some windows!
Now you don't have to think so much about what form you put the object into, you just have to think whether you mean "all of" or just "some of".
Notice that the only sentence that can't contain the word ikkunat is the negative one, because even though this in the plural form, negative still equals partitive in a sentence that contains an object.
The Formation of the Plural Partitive <> Monikon Partitiivin Rakenne
I --> +JA/JÄ WHEN THE PLURAL STEM ENDS WITH OI-, ÖI-, UI-, OR YI- (SHORT WORDS ONLY)
TALO ---> TALOI- ---> TALOJA
KALA ---> KALOI- ---> KALOJA
KOULU ---> KOULUI- ---> KOULUJA
KAUPPA ---> KAUPOI- ---> KAUPPOJA <--- REMEMBER THAT PARTITIVE IS ALWAYS STRONG!
SÄNKY ---> SÄNGYI ---> SÄNKYJÄ
+EJA/EJÄ FOREIGN WORDS THAT END WITH I.
HOTELLI ---> HOTELLEJA
PANKKI ---> PANKKEJA
TOMAATTI ---> TOMAATTEJA
BANAANI ---> BANAANEJA
+ITA/ITÄ WHEN THE SINGULAR STEM ENDS WITH TWO VOWELS (REMEMBER, REMOVE THE FIRST VOWEL)
PERHE ---> PERHEE- ---> PERHEITÄ
TEHDAS ---> TEHTAA- ---> TEHTAITA
PUU ---> PUU- ---> PUITA
KAUNIS ---> KAUNII- ---> KAUNIITA
YÖ ---> YÖ ---> ÖITÄ
TIE ---> TIE- ---> TEITÄ
VÄSYNYT ---> VÄSYNEE ---> VÄSYNEITÄ
+A/Ä WHEN THE PLURAL STEM ENDS WITH AN I.
NAINEN ---> NAISI- ---> NAISIA
KÄSI ---> KÄSI- ---> KÄSIÄ
PIENI ---> PIENI- ---> PIENIÄ
SUURI ---> SUURI- ---> SUURIA
OPETTAJA ---> OPETTAJI- ---> OPETTAJIA
MUKAVA ---> MUKAVI- ---> MUKAVI
UNELMA ---> UNELMI- ---> UNELMIA
+OITA/ÖITÄ LONG WORDS ENDING WITH NA/NÄ, RA/RÄ, LA,LÄ OR IJA, IJÄ
RAVINTOLA ---> RAVINTOLOITA
PORKKANA ---> PORKKANOITA
MAKKARA ---> MAKKAROITA
OPISKELIJA ---> OPISKELIJOITA
For example:
Minä odotan ystävää. ---> I'm waiting for a friend.
We know it's only one friend because we've used the singular partitive, and it's partitive because odottaa is a partitive-verb.
BUT...
Minä ododan ystäviä. ---> I'm waiting for some friends.
We use the plural-partitive when we are talking about an unspecific number of something. All we know here is that I'm waiting for more than 1 friend. It could be 2, could be 10, could be 5,000.
Here's an example that I always use when teaching the plural partitive. It's useful because it also reminds you of the objekti rules:
Minä avaan ikkunan. I will open a window
Minä avaan ikkunaa. I will open a window (but only slightly/not completely)
Minä en avaa ikkunaa. I will not open a window.
Minun täytyy avata ikkuna. I have to open a window.
Avataan ikkuna. Let's open a window.
Avaa ikkuna! Open a window!
When we're talking about just 1 window, we have to think carefully about what clause we are using and what form we have to put the object into. The object has to be either nominative, accusative or partitive.
When we're talking about more that one window however, there's a lot less thinking involved. All we have to do is think "Do I mean all of the windows, or just some of them?"
If we're talking about all of something, we use the plural basic form or monikon perusmuoto. That's the one that ends with the letter t. However if we don't mean all of the windows, if we are just talking about some windows or more than 1 window, we use the plural partitive. Let's look at the same sentences agian but using the plural form of ikkuna.
Minä avaan ikkunat I will open (all) the windows.
Minä avaan ikkunoita. I will open some windows.
Minä en avaa ikkunoita. I will not open the/any windows.
Minun täytyy avata ikkunat. I have to open (all) the windows.
Minun täytyy avata ikkunoita. I have to open some windows.
Avataan ikkunat. Let's open (all) the windows.
Avataan ikkunoita. Let's open some windows.
Avaa ikkunat! Open (all) the windows!
Avaa ikkunoita. Open some windows!
Now you don't have to think so much about what form you put the object into, you just have to think whether you mean "all of" or just "some of".
Notice that the only sentence that can't contain the word ikkunat is the negative one, because even though this in the plural form, negative still equals partitive in a sentence that contains an object.
The Formation of the Plural Partitive <> Monikon Partitiivin Rakenne
I --> +JA/JÄ WHEN THE PLURAL STEM ENDS WITH OI-, ÖI-, UI-, OR YI- (SHORT WORDS ONLY)
TALO ---> TALOI- ---> TALOJA
KALA ---> KALOI- ---> KALOJA
KOULU ---> KOULUI- ---> KOULUJA
KAUPPA ---> KAUPOI- ---> KAUPPOJA <--- REMEMBER THAT PARTITIVE IS ALWAYS STRONG!
SÄNKY ---> SÄNGYI ---> SÄNKYJÄ
+EJA/EJÄ FOREIGN WORDS THAT END WITH I.
HOTELLI ---> HOTELLEJA
PANKKI ---> PANKKEJA
TOMAATTI ---> TOMAATTEJA
BANAANI ---> BANAANEJA
+ITA/ITÄ WHEN THE SINGULAR STEM ENDS WITH TWO VOWELS (REMEMBER, REMOVE THE FIRST VOWEL)
PERHE ---> PERHEE- ---> PERHEITÄ
TEHDAS ---> TEHTAA- ---> TEHTAITA
PUU ---> PUU- ---> PUITA
KAUNIS ---> KAUNII- ---> KAUNIITA
YÖ ---> YÖ ---> ÖITÄ
TIE ---> TIE- ---> TEITÄ
VÄSYNYT ---> VÄSYNEE ---> VÄSYNEITÄ
+A/Ä WHEN THE PLURAL STEM ENDS WITH AN I.
NAINEN ---> NAISI- ---> NAISIA
KÄSI ---> KÄSI- ---> KÄSIÄ
PIENI ---> PIENI- ---> PIENIÄ
SUURI ---> SUURI- ---> SUURIA
OPETTAJA ---> OPETTAJI- ---> OPETTAJIA
MUKAVA ---> MUKAVI- ---> MUKAVI
UNELMA ---> UNELMI- ---> UNELMIA
+OITA/ÖITÄ LONG WORDS ENDING WITH NA/NÄ, RA/RÄ, LA,LÄ OR IJA, IJÄ
RAVINTOLA ---> RAVINTOLOITA
PORKKANA ---> PORKKANOITA
MAKKARA ---> MAKKAROITA
OPISKELIJA ---> OPISKELIJOITA
