The use of the numbers presents some peculiarities.

A. Yksi, one, is an adjective which agrees with the substantive it qualifies. HÄn aina puhuu yhtÄ asiaa, he always talks on one subject. Olla yhdessÄ neuvossa, to be concerned in a plan.

B. The other numbers require that the word they qualify should be in the partitive singular, if the number is in the nominative. Under these circumstances the verb is the singular. Kolme poikaa on talossa, three boys are in the house. Viisi tuhatta miestÄ, 5000 men. SeitsemÄn kalaa, seven fishes.

But with words that have no singular, both the numeral and substantive are put in the nominative. Yhdet, kahdet hÄÄt, one, two marriages. Viidet sakset, five pairs of scissors. Kahdeksat sukat, eight pairs of stockings.

C. If the numeral is in an oblique case, then the substantive is put in the same case also, but in the singular. Viidelle pojalle, to five boys. Kolmelle kymmenelle miehelle, to thirty-six men.

But in the Kalevala, one finds such expressions as lÖyti kuusia jyviÄ, SeitsemiÄ siemeniÄ.

D. If the number and substantive have a pronoun or adjective agreeing with them, this latter is put in the plural and in the same case as the number. But the substantive obeys the preceding rules, if the attribute is in the nominative plural, the verb is also in the plural. NÄmÄt viisi poikaa tulivat kotia, these five boys come home. Anna leipÄÄ nÄille viidelle pojalle, give some bread to these five boys.

N.B. In all the numbers except yksi the accusative is the same as the nominative. NÄin kaksi miestÄ, I saw two men. Ampui viisi lintuja; he shot five birds; but NÄin yhden miehen, I saw one man.

Expression of a date.

I. To express the year the word vuosi is employed, and a cardinal number after it. If vuosi is used in the local or in the essive case this number is not inflected. Vuonna tuhatta (or tuhat) kahdeksan sataa kahdeksankymmentÄ yhdeksÄn, in the year 1889.

But if the genitive of vuosi is used, then the number is also put in the genitive. Vuoden tuhatta kahdeksan sataa kahdeksankymmentÄ viiden sato, the harvest of 1885.

II. The day of the month is expressed in two ways.

(1) First comes the name of the month in the genitive, then an ordinal number in the essive, and the word pÄivÄnÄ. Maaliskuun kolmantena pÄivÄnÄ, March 3.

(2) Or the numeral and pÄivÄnÄ come first, and are followed by the name of the month in the partitive. Kolmantena pÄivÄnÄ Maaliskuuta.

III. The hour expressed by the word kello, which remains under all circumstances invariable, followed by a cardinal numeral which can be inflected. Kello on kuusi, it is six o’clock. Nousen kello neljÄltÄ, I get up at five o’clock.

The half hours are expressed in much the same way as in German or Russian. Half past four, puoli viisi; half past five, puoli kuusi; half past six, puoli seitsemÄn, etc. A quarter past five is expressed by se on neljÄnneksen yli viisi (five plus a quarter), and a quarter to six by se on neljÄnnestÄ vailla kuusi (six minus a quarter).

The names of the days of the week and months are as follows:—