Kymmenien

Kymmenien is a Finnish numeral-inflected form that signals a rough, plural quantity of tens. It functions as a determiner-like element before a noun and is used when the exact number is not specified but the scale is large. The form derives from the cardinal number kymmenen (ten) and frequently appears in written Finnish to describe quantities such as tens of thousands or decades.

Grammatically, numerals in Finnish behave like adjectives and agree with the noun they modify in case and number. The genitive plural form kymmenien is used when the following noun is in the genitive plural. Common constructions include kymmenien tuhansien ihmisten (tens of thousands of people) and kymmenien vuosien ajan (over the course of decades). The corresponding partitive form kymmeniä is used in other contexts where the noun is in partitive, for example kymmeniä ihmisiä (dozens of people).

Usage notes emphasize that kymmenien is more typical in formal or descriptive writing, such as journalism, history, or statistics. In everyday speech, speakers may opt for the more general kymmeniä or simply state the number when precision is possible. The choice between kymmenien and kymmeniä often reflects nuance in meaning: kymmenien connotes a genitive, plural, and a definite sense of scale, while kymmeniä tends to signal an imprecise, indefinite quantity in a non-genitive context.