kaksista

Kaksista is a Finnish inflected form of the numeral kaksi (two). It is used in phrases where two items are referred to as a subset of a larger group, often meaning “two of” or “two from.” The form typically appears when the following noun is in a plural or genitive-like construction, and it arises in both written and spoken Finnish in contexts that emphasize selection or a subset.

In practice, kaksista commonly occurs in collocations such as kaksista vaihtoehdoista (of the two options) or kaksista lapsista (two of the children). The exact morphological pattern depends on the surrounding noun and the syntactic role in the sentence, but kaksista is generally recognized as the form used after numerals to indicate a subset within a larger set.

Usage notes:

- The form is relatively formal and more frequent in written Finnish or careful speech.

- It marks selection or a subset rather than a simple count, and it can appear with different nouns to express different “two of …” relationships.

- In everyday conversation, speakers may also use simpler constructions without kaksista, depending on clarity and context.

Examples:

- Kaksista vaihtoehdoista valittiin hinta-laatusuhteeltaan paras. (From the two options, the price–quality ratio was the best.)

- Hän poimi kaksista lapsista suurimman huomion. (She drew attention from two of the children.)

See also: Finnish numerals, inflection of numbers, Finnish grammar.