In Finnish, we do not use many little words to clarify what we mean.
Instead, without using any extra words, we modify the actual word
until it conveys the details of our meaning.
This is accomplished by inflection: tacking suffixes into the end of the word stem,
possibly changing some vowels or consonants in the process to make the word easier
to pronounce.
As such, Finnish words tend to be long, but there are fewer of them in a sentence than in English.
The difference between a inflection-heavy language like Finnish and a particle-heavy language
like English is akin to the difference between a functional programming language like Haskell
and an imperative programming language like assembler.
Coarsely speaking, in imperative programming languages, you do many small operations in a sequence, while
in functional programming languages, you craft a single expression that carries the
nuances of the operation.
In Finnish, nouns can be conjugated in 15 different cases, each serving
a particular function.
Grammatical cases
Nominative
The nominative case is the standard dictionary form of the word.
It can occur in singular or plural. It simply introduces the concept
into the sentence, usually as a grammatical subject.
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | talo | a house | talot | houses |
käpy | a conifer cone | käpy | a conifer cone | kävyt | conifer cones |
askel | a step | askel | a step | askeleet | steps |
katto | a roof | katto | a roof | katot | roofs |
ihminen | a human | ihminen | a human | ihmiset | humans |
There is no system of definite/indefinite articles in Finnish,
so when translating to English, an a/an/the article must be added
by the translator by deducing what is appropriate for the context.
Conversely when translating from English, any article is simply ignored.
It is for this reason that Finnish speakers of English often make
mistakes in these articles, often omitting them alltogether.
Examples:
- Tämä on käpy = This is a conifer cone
- Tuo katto on kaukana = That roof is far away (roof or ceiling)
- Ihmiset ajattelevat mitä ajattelevat = People think whatever they think (lit. humans)
Genitive (possession)
The genitive form indicates a possessive relationship.
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | talon | house’s | talojen | of the houses |
käpy | a conifer cone | kävyn | of the conifer cone | käpyjen | of the conifer cones |
askel | a step | askeleen | of the step | askeleiden | of the steps |
katto | a roof | katon | roof’s | kattojen | of the roofs |
ihminen | a human | ihmisen | of the human | ihmisten | of the humans |
In English, this would be indicated with a ’s suffix or an “of” preposition.
In Finnish, it is indicated by the -n inflection suffix.
Again, the distinction between a/an/the does not exist in Finnish.
Examples:
- Talon omistaja on eläkeläinen = The owner of the house is a pensioner
- Ihmisen elämä on lyhyt = The life of a human is short
- Matti on talon katolla = Matti is on the roof of the house
- Matin silmät ovat vihreät = Matti’s eyes are green
Accusative (direct object)
The accusative case is used when the concept describes
the object or target of an action,
and the action addresses the entire object.
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | talon | the house | talot | the houses |
käpy | a conifer cone | kävyn | the conifer cone | kävyt | the conifer cones |
askel | a step | askeleen | the step | askeleet | the steps |
katto | a roof | katon | the roof | katot | the roofs |
ihminen | a human | ihmisen | the human | ihmiset | the humans |
In nouns, singular accusative case looks usually exactly like the genitive case,
while the plural accusative case looks usually exactly like the nominative case.
There are exceptions though. Sometimes the accusative may assume the form of the
nominative case even in singular (for example “pitäisi ostaa talo” or “syö omena”).
Some pronouns have special accusative forms.
Examples:
- Söin kävyn = I ate a conifer cone
- Kuulin hänen askeleensa (askeleet + -nsa) = I heard his/her steps
- Ostin talon = I bought a house
- Haravoin kävyt kasaan = I raked the conifer cones into a pile
- Annatko minulle maidon? = Could you pass me the milk please? (lit. Will you give me the milk?)
Partitive (partial object)
The partitive case is used when the concept describes
the object or target of an action, but the action
addresses a portion of the target object.
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | taloa | the house | taloja | houses |
käpy | a conifer cone | käpyä | the conifer cone | käpyjä | conifer cones |
askel | a step | askeletta | the step | askeleita | steps |
katto | a roof | kattoa | the roof | kattoja | roofs |
ihminen | a human | ihmistä | the human | ihmisiä | humans |
It is indicated by the -a/-ä/-ta/-tä inflection suffix.
Examples:
- Potkiskelin käpyjä = I kicked some conifer cones around
- Katselin taloa = I looked at a house (I spent time looking at a house)
- Älä lyö ihmistä = Don’t beat the human
- Viisi leipää = Five breads†
- Kaksi kalaa = Two fish†
- Otatko maitoa? = Will you have milk? (lit. Do you take milk?)
- (Toivotan) hyvää huomenta! = (I bid you) good morning!
Students of Finnish language usually take longest time to
learn the difference between the accusative and the partitive case.
The difference is sometimes very important:
- Mattia ammuttiin (partitive) = Matti was shot at
- Matti ammuttiin (accusative) = Matti was shot (and killed)
† When the object is defined by a numeral,
partitive is always used and never the accusative.
Think “five of the breadkind” or “two of the fishkind”,
and the rationale for partitive becomes clear, even in sentences
like “I will take the five breads” which on the surface seem to
address the objects as whole.
Locative cases
There are two sets of three locative cases in Finnish.
The inessive, elative and illative cases are so called “internal” locative cases,
and the adessive, ablative and allative cases are “external” locative cases.
Aside from this important distinction, the two forms are parallel in meaning,
and confusion between the two happens often even with native speakers.
Inessive (inside)
The inessive form often corresponds with the “in” preposition in English.
In Finnish, it is indicated by the -ssa/-ssä inflection suffix.
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | talossa | in the house | taloissa | in houses |
käpy | a conifer cone | kävyssä | in the conifer cone | kävyissä | in conifer cones |
askel | a step | askeleessa | in the step | askeleissa | in steps |
katto | a roof | katossa | in the roof | katoissa | in roofs |
ihminen | a human | ihmisessä | in the human | ihmisissä | in humans |
Examples:
- Olen talossa = I am in the house
- Katossa on reikä = There is a hole in the roof (lit. a hole is in the roof)
- Ihmisessä voi asua syöpäläisiä = A human may house parasites (lit. parasites may live in a human)
- Kuljen hänen askeleissaan (askeleissa + -an) = I walk in his/her steps
Elative (from inside to outside)
The elative form is often translated into the “from” preposition in English, but the relationship is not exact.
It describes a change in observation from the inside to the outside.
In Finnish, it is indicated by the -sta/-stä inflection suffix.
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | talosta | from the house | taloista | from houses |
käpy | a conifer cone | kävystä | from the conifer cone | kävyistä | from conifer cones |
askel | a step | askeleesta | from the step | askeleista | from steps |
katto | a roof | katosta | from the roof | katoista | from roofs |
ihminen | a human | ihmisestä | from the human | ihmisistä | from humans |
Examples:
- Talosta nousee savua = Smoke is emitted from the house
- Lähditkö talosta? = Did you leave (from) the house?
- Ihmisistä irtoaa hilsettä = Dandruff is emitted by humans (lit. dandruff separates from humans)
- Kävyistä voisi kertoa paljon = You could speak a lot about conifer cones
- Tanssi alkaa askeleista = Dance begins from the steps
Illative (from outside to inside)
The illative form mostly corresponds to the “into” preposition in English.
It describes a change in observation from the outside to the inside.
In Finnish, it is indicated by the -Vn inflection suffix.
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | taloon | into the house | taloihin | into houses |
käpy | a conifer cone | käpyyn | into the conifer cone | käpyihin | into conifer cones |
askel | a step | askeleeseen | into the step | askeleisiin | into steps |
katto | a roof | kattoon | into the roof | kattoihin | into roofs |
ihminen | a human | ihmiseen | into the human | ihmisiin | into humans |
Examples:
- Mene taloon = Go into the house
- Kiinnitä tikku käpyyn = Attach a stick into the conifer cone
- Puheessaan hän viittasi ihmiseen = In his/her speech he/she referred to the human
- Mene länteen = Go west
- Menen Englantiin = I will go to England
- Yleisparannin jäi kuuhun = The universal upgrader was left on the moon (lit. remained in the moon)
Adessive (external closeby)
The adessive form describes an external closeby perspective to the object.
In English, it may correspond to the “at”, “on”, and “with” prepositions depending on context.
It is indicated by the -lla/-llä inflection suffix.
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | talolla | at the house | taloilla | at houses |
käpy | a conifer cone | kävyllä | at the conifer cone | kävyillä | at conifer cones |
askel | a step | askeleella | at the step | askeleilla | at steps |
katto | a roof | katolla | on the roof | katoilla | on roofs |
ihminen | a human | ihmisellä | at the human | ihmisillä | at humans |
Examples:
- Talolla pidetään juhlia = Feasts are held at the estate of the house
- Talon katolla on tuuliviiri = There is a weathercock on the roof of the house (or: The roof of the house has a weathercock…)
- Olen jääkaapilla = I am at the refrigerator
The adessive case is sometimes used to describe the role of an object as a tool (a role that belongs to the obsolescent instructive case). Example:
- Pöytä on käsitelty lakalla = The table has been treated with varnish.
- Älä leiki ihmisellä = Do not toy with the human
The adessive case is sometimes also used to describe that an object accompanies another (a role that belongs to the obsolescent comitative and instructive cases). Examples:
- Myynnissä on talo parvekkeella = There is for sale a house with a balcony
- Lohta kermaviilikastikkeella = Salmon with sour cream sauce
The adessive case also describes that someone possesses something.
In Finnish, “x has y” is expressed by saying that “y exists on x”.
There is no verb for has/have. Examples:
- Tonilla on rahaa = Toni has money (lit. There is money on Toni)
- Tonilla on talo = Toni has a house (lit. There is a house on Toni)
- Ihmisellä voi olla omaisuutta = A human may possess wealth (lit. there may be wealth on the human)
Sometimes the adessive case is replaced in speech with genitive and the “luona” adverb, although the meaning is not identical.
- Olen käymässä Tonilla = Olen käymässä Tonin luona = I am visiting Toni (lit. I am visiting at Toni’s)
- Kävin jääkaapilla† = I visited the refrigerator
- Kävin jääkaapin luona = I visited the vicinity of the refrigerator
† Using the inessive case, “jääkaapissa”, would be an obvious error. It means paying a visit inside the refrigerator, in person.
Ablative (from external closeby to outside)
Like the elative, the ablative form is often translated into the “from” preposition in English,
but the relationship is not exact.
It describes a change in observation from the external closeby position to the outside.
In Finnish, it is indicated by the -lta/-ltä inflection suffix.
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | talolta | from the house | taloilta | from houses |
käpy | a conifer cone | kävyltä | from the conifer cone | kävyiltä | from conifer cones |
askel | a step | askeleelta | from the step | askeleilta | from steps |
katto | a roof | katolta | from the roof | katoilta | from roofs |
ihminen | a human | ihmiseltä | from the human | ihmisiltä | from humans |
Examples:
- Tipuin katolta = I fell down from the roof
- Askel askeleelta = Step by step (expression)
- Saitko rahaa ihmisilt� = Did you get money from people (from the humans)?
- Varokaa katoilta putoavaa lunta = Watch out for snow falling from the roofs
† Using the elative case, “ihmisistä”, would be a crude mistake here. It would mean the money was either surgically extracted from people, or acquired by selling slaves.
Allative (from outside to external closeby)
The allative form can be usually translated into the “to”, “on”, or “onto” prepositions in English.
It describes a change in observation from the outside onto the external closeby position.
In Finnish, it is indicated by the -lta/-ltä inflection suffix.
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | talolle | onto the house | taloille | onto houses |
käpy | a conifer cone | kävylle | onto the conifer cone | kävyille | onto conifer cones |
askel | a step | askeleelle | onto the step | askeleille | onto steps |
katto | a roof | katolle | onto the roof | katoille | onto roofs |
ihminen | a human | ihmiselle | onto the human | ihmisille | onto humans |
Examples:
- Lähdin maalle = I went to the countryside
- Astuin hänen varpailleen = I stepped on his/her toes
- Kiinnitin katolle tuuliviirin = I affixed a weathercock on the roof (onto the roof)
- Menestys ei merkitse ihmiselle = Success is meaningless to a human (lit. Success does not matter to a human)
- Koiralle kävi kalpaten = Disastrous things happened to the dog (expression, lit. Hitting something while missing its mark happened to the dog)
- Annatko minulle† maidon? = Could you pass me the milk please? (lit. Will you give the milk to me?)
† Using the illative case, “minuun” would be a strange lapse here. I will not even elaborate what it could mean. In any case, the correct word, “minulle”, does not mean pouring the milk on the person, nor does it mean placing the milk carton on the person’s head. Such a misinterpretation would only arise from trying to rigidly map the English prepositions into the Finnish cases, which is not how languages work. The best way to understand this expression is to remember that “x has y” is translated as “y exists on x”. In the allative, y is transferred to the possession of x, i.e. onto the (however temporary) ownership of x.
Essive cases
Essive (in the role of)
The essive form can be usually translated as the “as” preposition in English.
It describes the situation of the object. The situation may be a role, a location, a time, or an adjectivial state of being.
In Finnish, it is indicated by the -na/-nä inflection suffix.
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | talona | as a house | taloina | as houses |
käpy | a conifer cone | käpynä | as a conifer cone | käpyinä | as conifer cones |
askel | a step | askeleena | as a step | askeleina | as steps |
katto | a roof | kattona | as a roof | kattoina | as roofs |
ihminen | a human | ihmisenä | as a human | ihmisinä | as humans |
Examples:
- Ihmisenä ei ole helppoa = It is not easy (to live) as a human
- Toimin opettajana = I work as a teacher
- Olen kotona† = I am home
- Laulan iloisena = I sing happily (lit. as happy)
- Pidin (sitä) kirjaa hyvänä‡̶ = I thought the book was good (lit. I held the book in the esteem of being good)
- Keskiviikkona sataa = It will rain on Wednesday
- Huomenna‡ ei sada = Tomorrow it will not rain (lit. on morning)
- Pidä hyvänäsi! = Keep it! / You can have it! (lit: Keep as your good)
† This is actually an archaic locative form. The technically correct modern form would be inessive kodissa, meaning in home, but using the word “kotona” is the established practice, just like in English it is established practice to not use a preposition in that sentence.
‡ This, too, is an archaic form that has established into common use. Ignoring the fact that the modern Finnish word for “morning” is “aamu”, the technically correct inflection for “huomen” would be “huomenena”. But “huomenna” is the de facto word.
‡̶ This sentence has a slight fetishist alternative meaning (“I held the book dearly”), which may be the reason it is usually said “Minusta (se) kirja oli hyvä” (In my opinion (lit. from me) the book was good)
Translative (into the role of)
The translative form describes a transformation into the object.
In English, it is often indicated by “to” or “into” prepositions.
In Finnish, it is indicated by the “-ksi” inflection suffix.
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | taloksi | into a house | taloiksi | into houses |
käpy | a conifer cone | kävyksi | into a conifer cone | kävyiksi | into conifer cones |
askel | a step | askeleeksi | into a step | askeleiksi | into steps |
katto | a roof | katoksi | into a roof | katoiksi | into roofs |
ihminen | a human | ihmiseksi | into a human | ihmisiksi | into humans |
Examples:
- Käy taloksi! = Make yourself at home! (expression)
- Pian nämä päreet muuttuvat katoiksi = Soon these splints will become roofs
- Tämä kone muuttaa sinut ihmiseksi = This machine will transform you into a human
Marginal cases
These cases are rarely used in speech today, but because they can be applied to practically any noun,
they are still considered official noun cases in Finnish grammar.
Instructive (by the means of)
The instructive form describes using the object as a tool,
or a goal being accomplished with the assistance of the object.
In English, it would be indicated with the “with”, “using”, or “by” prepositions.
In Finnish, it is indicated by the “-n” or “-in” inflection suffixes.
The instructive exists in both singular and plural,
but use of the singular form is extremely rare.
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | talon | with a house | taloin | with houses |
käpy | a conifer cone | kävyn | with a conifer cone | kävyin | with conifer cones |
askel | a step | askeleen | with a step | askelein | with steps |
katto | a roof | katon | with a roof | katoin | with roofs |
ihminen | a human | ihmisen | with a human | ihmisin | with humans |
Examples:
- Kävelen kevyin askelein = I walk with light steps
- Laiva on varustettu telaketjuin = The boat is equipped with crawler tracks
- Kuljen jalan = I travel by foot (a rare example of a singular instructive still in use)
The instructive case is obsolescent, and often replaced with the adessive case,
especially if the word is in singular form (because of the potential mix-up with the genitive case).
- Linja-auto on varustettu palosammuttimella = The coach (lit. route car) is equipped with a fire extinguisher
- Linja-auto on varustettu palosammuttimen = The coach is equipped with the fire extinguisher’s …? (likely misinterpretation)
Abessive (without)
The abessive describes an absense of the object.
In English, it would be indicated with the “without” preposition.
In Finnish, it is indicated by the -tta/-ttä inflection suffixes.
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | talotta | without a house | taloitta | without houses |
käpy | a conifer cone | kävyttä | without a conifer cone | kävyittä | without conifer cones |
askel | a step | askeleetta | without a step | askeleitta | without steps |
katto | a roof | katotta | without a roof | katoitta | without roofs |
ihminen | a human | ihmisettä | without a human | ihmisittä | without humans |
In everyday speech, the abessive is usually replaced with an “ilman” preposition and the object conjugated in partitive (a scheme loaned directly from Swedish).
The plain abessive form is slightly more common when used with participle forms of verbs,
which are conjugated like adjectives.
Examples:
- Katotta = ilman kattoa = without a roof
- Se tapahtui kenenkään huomaamatta = Se tapahtui ilman, että kukaan huomasi = It happened without anyone noticing
- Selittämättä = ilman selitystä = without an explanation (participle from v. selittää → selittämä, noun derivation from v. selittää → selitys)
In some dialects, the abessive suffix is -ti.
- Äänettä = ääneti = ilman ääniä = without sound(s)
Comitative (with possession)
In English, the comitative form would be translated with the “together” and “with” words.
In Finnish, it is indicated by the -ine inflection suffix, plus the possessive suffix.
The comitative form in Finnish only exists in plural, and requires
at least one occurrence of a possessive suffix.
Word | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | taloineen | with their houses |
käpy | a conifer cone | käpyineen | with their conifer cones |
askel | a step | askeleineen | with their steps |
katto | a roof | kattoineen | with their roofs |
ihminen | a human | ihmisineen | with their humans |
In everyday speech, the comitative is usually replaced by the object
conjugated in genitive and the “kanssa” adverb.
Examples:
- Hän lähti käpyineen = He left and took his conifer cones with him (lit. he left with his conifer cones)
- Hän lähti käpyjensä kanssa = He left with his conifer cones
- Hän lähti käpyine päivineen = He left and took his conifer cones and everything else he had with him (lit. he left with his conifer cones and days)
Adverbial cases
Adverbial cases are conjugative forms that exist only for certain words.
These are not usually taught as grammatical cases, but as separate adverbs.
Superessive (in some place)
The superessive form indicates existing in some particular place.
It is indicated by the -alla/-ällä suffix, and only exists for some select words.
It resembles the adessive.
Word | Translation | Example | Translation | Compare with adessive | Translation |
tämä | this | täällä | here | tällä | on this/with this |
tuo | that | tuolla | over there (in the place being pointed at) | tuolla | on that/with that |
se | it/that | siellä | over there (in the place just mentioned) | sillä | on it/with it |
muu | other | muualla | elsewhere | muulla | on other/with other |
kaikki | everything | kaikkialla | everywhere | kaikilla | on/with everyone/everything |
toinen | another | toisaalla | in another place | toisella | on/with another thing/place |
Examples:
- Hän on muualla = He/she is elsewhere.
- Satoiko siellä? = Did it rain over there?
- Majakka on tuolla etäällä = The lighthouse is over there in the distance
- Täällä paistaa aurinko = The sun is shining here (lit. Over here the sun is frying)
Delative (from some place)
Delative indicates movement out from somewhere, and exists only in singular, and only for some select words.
It resembles the ablative.
Word | Translation | Example | Translation | Compare with ablative | Translation |
tämä | this | täältä | from here | tältä | from this |
tuo | that | tuolta | from over there (from the place being pointed at) | tuolta | from that over there |
se | it/that | sieltä | from over there (from the place just mentioned) | siltä | from this that was just mentioned |
muu | other | muualta | from elsewhere | muulta | from some other |
kaikki | everything | kaikkialta | from everywhere | kaikilta | from everyone/every (thing) |
toinen | another | toisaalta | from another place | toiselta | from another |
Examples:
- Ostin sen sieltä kaupasta = I bought it from that store (lit. from the location of the store that was mentioned earlier)
- Toisaalta pieni määrä viiniä on terveellistä = On the other hand (lit. From another (viewpoint)), a small amount of wine is healthy
Sublative (towards some place)
Sublative indicates movement towards somewhere, and exists only in singular, and only for some select words.
It resembles the allative.
Word | Translation | Example | Translation | Compare with allative | Translation |
tämä | this | tänne | (towards) here | tälle | onto this |
tuo | that | tuonne | (towards) there (the place being pointed at) | tuolle | onto that |
se | it/that | sinne | (towards) there (the place just mentioned) | sille | onto that |
muu | other | muualle | (towards) elsewhere | muulle | onto other |
kaikki | everything | kaikkialle | (towards) everywhere | kaikille | onto everything/everyone |
toinen | another | toisaalle | (towards) another place | toiselle | onto another |
Examples:
- Tule tänne = Come here
- Mene muualle = Go elsewhere
- En ylety kaikkialle = I can’t reach everywhere
Lative (towards a direction)
The lative indicates small movement towards the general direction of some place, and only exists for some select words.
Word | Translation | Example | Translation |
ala- | bottom- | alas | down |
ylä- | top- | ylös | up |
etu- | front- | edes (or edespäin, archaic; usually eteenpäin) | forwards |
alempi | one that is more at the bottom | alemmas | more towards the bottom |
ylempi | one that is more at the top | ylemmäs | more towards the top |
rannempi | one that is more at the coast | rannemmas | more towards the coast |
The translative form is also often used for this purpose, with the exact same meaning.
Examples: alemmaksi, ylemmäksi, rannemmaksi
Temporal (at a time)
The temporal indicates a time of occurrence, and only exists for some select words.
It is indicated by the -lloin/-llöin suffix.
Word | Translation | Example | Translation |
mikä | what/that | milloin | when (interrogative) |
joka | which/that | jolloin | when (conjunctive) |
tämä | this | tällöin | this is when |
se | it/that | silloin | that is when |
muu | other | muulloin | at other times |
ilta | evening | illoin | at evenings |
Examples:
- Milloin aiot lähteä? = When do you plan to leave?
- Hän juo aamuin illoin = He/she drinks all day long (lit. on mornings and on evenings)
Causative (in manner of)
The causative describes the manner of something happening, and only exists for some select words.
Word | Translation | Example | Translation |
mikä | what/that | miten | how |
joka | which/that | joten | therefore |
joku | something | jotenkuten | somehow |
kuka | who/which | kuten | as/like |
vähin | littlemost (amount) | vähiten | by the most little amount |
kauan | for a long time | kauiten | by the longest time |
vanhin | oldest | vanhimmiten | by the time of the old age |
paras | best | parhaiten | in the best manner |
usea | many | useiten | usually (lit. in most occurrences) |
Multiplicative (by the manner/number of)
The multiplicative is used with numerals to indicate the number of occurrences, and only exists for some select words,
and with adjectives to manner behavior, and with expletives to emphasize them.
Word | Translation | Example | Translation |
viisi | five | viidesti | five times |
moni | many | monesti | often |
kaunis | beautiful | kauniisti | beautifully |
äänekäs | loud | äänekkäästi | loudly |
pakko | mandatory | pakosti | mandatorily |
vittu | a cunt | vitusti | like a fucking lot† |
Examples:
- Hän lauloi kauniisti = He/she sang beautifully
- Siellä oli ihan vitusti† katsojia = There were fucktons of people watching it
† Vulgar. You would only use this word in aggressive uncivilized language.
Prolative (through)
The prolative indicates a route or a path through which something happens,
and is indicated by the -tse suffix in both singular and plural forms.
Word | Translation | Example | Translation |
maa | land | maitse | through lands |
meri | sea | meritse | through seas |
vesi | water | vesitse | through water(ways) |
sähköposti | e-mail | sähköpostitse | through e-mail |
| | ohitse | past (bypass) |
ylä- | top- | ylitse | over (bypass) |
ala- | bottom- | alitse | under (bypass) |
läpi | a hole | lävitse | through |
In modern Finnish, läpi has changed to mean “through”, and another word, “reikä”, is used for a hole.
The nominal word “läpi” still exists in some compound words like “leipäläpi”,
which is an dysphemism for “mouth” (lit. the hole through which bread is shoved).
Example:
- Lähetätkö sen postitse? = Could you please mail it? (Lit. Will you send it via mail?)
Distributive (in units/terms of)
Word | Translation | Example | Translation |
paikka | a place | paikoittain | in some places |
suomalainen | Finnish (adj.) | suomalaisittain | in Finnish terms |
yksi | one | yksittäin | one by one / in single occurrences |
ryhmä | group | ryhmittäin | group by group / in groups |
Examples:
- Sadekuuroja saattaa esiintyä paikoittain = There is possibility of localized showers (lit. showers may occur in some places)
- Lapset käyvät uimahallissa ryhmittäin = The children will go to the swimming hall in groups (lit. the children will visit in the swimming hall in groups)
- Toimituskulut on listattu maittain = Delivery costs are listed by countries
- Myynti vaihtelee kausittain = Sales varies by seasons
Temporal distributive (occurring every)
The temporal distribute indicates origin or a recurring time of occurrence, only exists for some select words,
and is indicated by the -isin suffix in plural form.
Word | Translation | Example | Translation |
arki | ordinary day/time, or working day | arkisin | on ordinary days (i.e. on other than weekends / holidays) |
pyhä | holy (day) (Sundays etc.) | pyhisin | on holidays |
maanantai | Monday | maanantaisin | on Mondays |
kesä | summer | kesäisin | on summertimes |
synty(mä) | birth | syntyisin | born at (from) |
jalka | foot | jalkaisin | by foot |
perä | the rearside | peräisin | originating from |
aika | time | aikaisin | early |
Examples:
- Hän on syntyisin Kaustisilta = His roots are in Kaustinen (He was born in Kaustinen)
- Sanonta on peräisin ruotsista = The phrase originates from Swedish language
- Kauppa on auki maanantaisin kahdeksasta neljään = The store is open from 8 to 4 on Mondays
Situative (promixal by)
The situative indicates the promiximity of two objects,
and is indicated by the -kkain/-kkäin suffixes in singular forms only.
Word | Translation | Example | Translation |
selkä | back (anatomy) | seläkkäin | back to back |
lähi- | closeby | lähekkäin | close to each others |
vieri- | neighboring | vierekkäin | right next to each others |
sisä- | inner | sisäkkäin | nested |
vasta- | opposing | vastakkain | opposite to each others |
Examples:
- Istuimme vierekkäin = We sat side by side
Oppositive (opposite by)
Like the situative, the oppositive indicates the promiximity of two objects,
opposite to each others. It is indicated by the -tusten/-tysten suffixes in singular forms only.
Word | Translation | Example | Translation |
kasvo | face / countenance | kasvotusten | face to face |
selkä | back (anatomy) | selätysten | back to back |
vasta- | opposing | vastatusten | opposite to each others |
Comparison forms
Adjectives can be conjugated in two additional forms
not available for other nouns: Comparative and superlative.
Comparative (more)
The comparative is equivalent to the English prefix “more”.
It is indicated by the -mpi suffix.
Word | Translation | Example | Translation |
vihreä | green | vihreämpi | more green / greener |
savuinen | smoky | savuisempi | more smoky / smokier |
vaikea | difficult | vaikeampi | more difficult |
Examples:
- Halusin talosta vihreämmän = I wanted to house to become more green (lit. I wanted more green from the house)
- Japani ei ole vaikeampi kieli kuin suomi = Japanese is not more difficult a language than Finnish is
Superlative (most)
The superlative is equivalent to the English prefix “most”.
It is indicated by the -in suffix.
Word | Translation | Example | Translation |
vihreä | green | vihrein | most green / greenest |
savuinen | smoky | savuisin | most smoky / smokiest |
vaikea | difficult | vaikein | most difficult |
Examples:
- Ehkä baski on vaikein kieli = Maybe Basque is the most difficult language
In additional to the grammatical case, there may be a number of different
suffixes to the word. The suffix is added to the conjugated word.
Possessive suffixes
Finnish personal pronouns and possessive suffixes are gender-neutral.
Singular first person: -ni
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | taloni | my house | taloni | my houses |
katto | a roof | katollani | on my roof | katoillani | on my roofs |
Singular second person: -si
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | talosi | your house | talosi | your houses |
katto | a roof | katollasi | on your roof | katoillasi | on your roofs |
Singular third person: -nsa
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | talonsa | their house | talonsa | their houses |
katto | a roof | katollaan | on their roof | katoillansa | on their roofs |
Plural first person: -mme
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | talomme | our house | talomme | our houses |
katto | a roof | katollamme | on our roof | katoillamme | on our roofs |
In modern informal speech, the plural first person suffix is often dropped.
Plural second person: -nne
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | talonne | your house | talonne | your houses |
katto | a roof | katollanne | on your roof | katoillanne | on your roofs |
Plural third person: -nsa
Word | Translation | Example (singular) | Translation | Example (plural) | Translation |
talo | a house | talonsa | their house | talonsa | their houses |
katto | a roof | katollaan | on their roof | katoillansa | on their roofs |