kolmekymmenen

Kolmekymmenen is the genitive form of the Finnish numeral kolmekymmentä, meaning thirty. In standard usage, kolmekymmentä is the base cardinal for the number, while kolmenkymmenen is used before a noun that is in the genitive case to indicate a quantity or to express measurements, distances, ages, or durations.

Form and usage

The genitive form kolmenkymmenen is written as a single compound in front of a noun in genitive, for example kolmenkymmenen kilometrin päässä (thirty kilometers away) or kolmenkymmenen vuoden kokemus (thirty years of experience). This construction follows the Finnish pattern where numerals combine with a following noun in genitive to specify a precise amount. The nominative form remains kolmekymmentä when the numeral stands alone or modifies a noun in nominative.

Etymology and related forms

Kolmekymmentä combines kolme (three) and kymmentä (tens), forming the standard Finnish word for the number thirty. The genitive formation kolmenkymmenen results from the genitive of kolme (kolmen) placed with the genitive base of kymmenen, producing a fused form used in front of genitive nouns. Other related forms include the full nominative kolmekymmentä and the various declined forms that appear in extended phrases, depending on case and number.

Notes

Kolmekymmenen is primarily a grammatical form used in conjunction with a noun in genitive to denote a quantity or extent. It is not a separate numeral with different meaning beyond its syntactic role. See also kolmekymmentä, Finnish numbers, and Finnish grammar.