montaa

Finnish

Etymology

Double partitive of moni, in which a partitive ending has been attached to monta, itself a partitive singular form of moni.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmontɑː/, [ˈmo̞n̪t̪ɑ̝ː]
• Rhymes: -ontɑː
• Syllabification^(key): mon‧taa

Adverb

montaa

1. Double partitive of moni, "partitive" of monta; (not) many (kinds of)

   Pöydällä oli monta juustoa.

   Many cheeses were on the table. (many pieces, but not necessarily different kinds)

   Pöydällä oli montaa juustoa.

   Many kinds of cheeses were on the table.

Usage notes

Considered nonstandard until 1995. Used where monta effectively acts as a nominative when used as a determiner or numeral, meaning "many".

Näin monta lintua.

I saw many birds.

En nähnyt montaa lintua.

I didn't see many birds.

With verbs that require a partitive, montaa is used instead of monta.

Rakastan montaa ihmistä.

I love many people / I'm in love with many (more than one) people.

Further reading

• “montaa”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03
• A help page by the Institute for the Languages of Finland describing the uses of "monta" and "montaa" (in Finnish)

Anagrams

• maaton, matona