# Seitsemän veljestä



## Trauer

I'd like to ask about this well known title or to be more specific - about it's second part. What kind of case is that "veljestä"? I know that it's elative in nowadays' Finnish, but shouldn't there be partitive that is: Seitsemän veljeä? Or if that's meant to be elative, why seitsemän isn't in elative case that is: Seitsemästä veljestä? I found also other way of declension of veli word in elative, that is: veljeksestä. Is it an old form of elative or? Thus perhaps veljestä used to be veli's partitive form in the past?

I've just been confused over this issue for a while now


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## Gavril

Trauer said:


> I'd like to ask about this well known title or to be more specific - about it's second part. What kind of case is that "veljestä"? I know that it's elative in nowadays' Finnish, but shouldn't there be partitive that is: Seitsemän veljeä? Or if that's meant to be elative, why seitsemän isn't in elative case that is: Seitsemästä veljestä? I found also other way of declension of veli word in elative, that is: veljeksestä. Is it an old form of elative or? Thus perhaps veljestä used to be veli's partitive form in the past?
> 
> I've just been confused over this issue for a while now



_veljestä _is the partitive singular of _veljes, _an alternative word for "brother" that usually appears in the plural form _veljekset _"brothers". It also appears in compounds such as _veljeskunta _"brotherhood, fraternity".

I think there are semantic differences between _veljes _and _veli, _but we'll have to wait for the native Finnish-speakers to explain them.


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## Grumpy Old Man

The use of _veljestä_ seems to make for a more affectionate sound than _veljeä._ It appears to underline the brotherhood of the seven brothers. The singular _veljes_ is rarely used. It may have been more common in the old days but nowadays nobody uses it. As Gavril has pointed out, _veljeskunta_ is used even today.


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## Trauer

Thanks all of you for clearing this up!


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## Trauer

I don't want to start another thread for asking about some Finnish words...
I'd like to know what _rheum_ or _eye crust _is in Finnish. And how to say that someone or something sucks?


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## Hakro

Trauer said:


> I don't want to start another thread for asking about some Finnish words...
> I'd like to know what _rheum_ or _eye crust _is in Finnish. And how to say that someone or something sucks?


According to the WR rules you should start a new thread... But anyway, I'll answer you by a PM.


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## Trauer

Hakro said:


> According to the WR rules you should start a new thread...



I have this bad habit of not reading rules 



Hakro said:


> But anyway, I'll answer you by a PM.



Please, do so!


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