määräsanasta

Määräsana is a Finnish grammatical term that translates roughly to "determiner" or "quantifier." It is a broad category of words that modify or specify nouns. Määräsanat provide information about the quantity, definiteness, or possession of the noun they are associated with.

Finnish determiners can be classified into several subcategories. Demonstrative determiners, such as "tämä" (this) and "tuo" (that), point to specific nouns. Possessive determiners, like "minun" (my) and "sinun" (your), indicate ownership. Interrogative determiners, such as "mikä" (what) and "kuka" (who), are used in questions to inquire about nouns.

Quantifiers are a significant part of this category. They express the amount or number of a noun. Examples include "monta" (many), "usea" (several), "muutama" (a few), "jokainen" (each), and "kaikki" (all). Cardinal numbers also function as determiners when they precede a noun, specifying its quantity. For instance, in "kolme taloa" (three houses), "kolme" is a determiner.

Indefinite determiners, such as "joku" (someone) and "mikään" (any/none), refer to nouns in a non-specific way. The concept of määräsana is crucial for understanding how nouns are specified and quantified within Finnish sentences. These words play a vital role in sentence structure and meaning by providing context and precision to the nouns they modify.