(3) Mikä has two uses: (1) when applied to persons it is always used adjectively. Mikä mies tuo on? what man is that? Mi sinä olet miehiäsi? (Kal. ii. 134.) what manner of man art thou? (2) When applied to things it can be used either adjectively or substantively. It will be noticed that this is exactly similar to the use of what in English. Mikä on nimesi? what is your name? Mitä maksoitte? what did you pay? Millä kadulla asutte? what street do you live in?
(4) Kumpi is either a substantive or an adjective, and means which of two. Kumpi teistä (or teitä) tulee? Which of you is coming? Kumpaa viiniä paremmin rakastatte, punaistako vain valkoista? Which wine do you prefer, red or white? Hän saapui Turkuun, jossa kaupungissa viipyi kaksi viikkoa, He arrived at Åbo, in which town he remained two weeks.
Relative Pronouns.
Joka, who or which, is a substantive, and sometimes an adjective. Joka myllyyn menee se tomuun tulee, he who goes to the mill gets dusty (proverb). Poika, jolle annoitte kirjan, on veljeni, the boy to whom you gave the book is my brother.
Jompi, which of two, is not frequently used: Ota näistä kirjoista jomman tahdot, take which of these books you like. Pata kattilata soimaa: musta kylki kummallakin, the pot abuses the kettle; but both are black. Kuka, kumpi, and mikä, are also used as relatives. En tiedä kuka se on, I do not know what is. Jos tietäisin mitä tahdotte, niin antaisin, if I knew what you wanted I would give it you. N.B. The word kuin, meaning as, is sometimes used as a relative pronoun.
Indefinite Pronouns.
I. One kind of indefinite pronoun is formed by the union of the relative and interrogative in their shortened form. Joku, some one, some one or other; jompikumpi, one or other of two. Joku kolkuttaa, some one is knocking. Tuli joitakuita miehiä, some men came. Sano jommalle kummalle, tell one or other of them.
II. The relative and interrogative pronouns when combined with the suffix kin—jokin, kukin, mikin, kumpikin or kumpainenkin—are used as indefinite pronouns in affirmative sentences. The same pronouns combined with kaan—kukaan, kenkään, mikään, kumpikaan—are used only in negative phrases or dubitative questions, and then mean, no one, none, nothing, and neither. Menköön jokin hänen jälkeen, let some one go after him. Ei kukaan tiedä mihin hän meni, no one knows where he went. Oletteko kuulleet jotakin uutta? have you heard something new? En mitäkään, nothing. Ei johtunut kenenkään mieleen, no one remembered (it came into nobody’s mind). Kelpaako näistä kumpikaan? will either of these do?
Under many circumstances the interogative and relative pronouns are used as indefinite.
(1) In sentences meaning ‘some do one thing, some another.’ Cf. the use of кто in Russian. Mikä itkee, mikä nauraa, one weeps and another laughs. Kuka uskoo, kuka ei, some believe, and some don’t. Ketä nälättää, ketä janottaa, one is hungry, and another thirsty.