# partitive/nominative complement



## PaBin

Is this a correct interpretation:
1. Minä pesen autoa. - I wash the car.
2. Minä pesen auton. - I will wash the car.
And if it is so, is it a common way of expressing future tense?
What are other possible interpretations of these sentencens?
Or is it more correct to translate them as: 
1. I wash a car.
2. I wash the car.
The problem is that I'm not sure how to interpret the partitive case. I  know that it may represent both verbal aspect (and as the above example  shows in consequence even tense[?]) and noun definitness. _Auto_ is a countable noun, so at least the part-of-a-bigger-whole interpretation drops out (I hope.)


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## Grumpy Old Man

Without context, these interpretations come to my mind:

_Minä pesen autoa._
I am washing the/a car (at this very moment).  The washing is not complete yet.

_Minä pesen auton._
I will wash the car. / I am going to wash the car.
Also: I am washing the car (right now, and I intend to wash the entire car, not just some parts of it.)

The defintite article is correct unless the person has a job in a car wash and washes total strangers' cars there.


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## Gavril

Just a few things to add to what Grumpy Old Man said:



PaBin said:


> Is this a correct interpretation:
> 1. Minä pesen autoa. - I wash the car.



Usually, this will mean "I am washing the car", but it could also (theoretically) mean "I will be washing the car". The partitive case of the object (_autoa_) doesn't automatically mean "present tense" -- it means that the action was, is, or will be in progress.

There are some verbs that always take a partitive object, so that you can't rely on the partitive to convey present tense:

_Odotan hänta _"I'm waiting for him" / "I will wait for him"
_Autan ystävääni _"I'm helping my friend" / "I will help my friend"

Negative sentences are similar:

_En pese autoa _"I'm not washing the car" / "I won't wash the car"



> 2. Minä pesen auton. - I will wash the car.



Besides the translations that Grumpy Old Man gave, this can also mean "I wash the car (on a regular basis)". E.g., 

_Joka kuukausi pesen auton._ "Every month I wash the car"

Just as the partitive doesn't always mean "present tense", the accusative case (_auton_) doesn't automatically mean "future tense": it means that an action was completed, will be completed, or is regularly completed.


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## PaBin

Thank you for your answers.


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