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<div class="pg_page_title">Finnish Grammar - Plurals</div>
<div class="pg_page_title">Finnish Grammar - Plurals</div>
Hi [https://polyglotclub.com/language/finnish Finnish] learners! 😊<br>
In this lesson, you will learn how to form plurals in Finnish. As you may know, Finnish is an agglutinative language, which means that suffixes are added to the end of a word to change its meaning. Understanding how to form plurals in Finnish is essential if you want to communicate effectively in this language. We will also provide cultural and fun facts about Finnish as we go along! So, let's get started!


__TOC__
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Learning Finnish grammar can be a daunting task, but understanding the basics of plurals is an important step in mastering the language. Plurals are used to indicate more than one of something, and they are essential for expressing yourself correctly in Finnish.


In this lesson, we'll look at the different ways to form plurals in Finnish, and how to use them in everyday conversation. We'll also explore some of the exceptions to the rules, so you can feel confident when speaking Finnish.  
<span link>With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: [[Language/Finnish/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have|How to Use Have]], [[Language/Finnish/Grammar/Indefinite-Articles-in-Finnish|Indefinite Articles in Finnish]], [[Language/Finnish/Grammar/Past-Tense|Past Tense]] & [[Language/Finnish/Grammar/Forming-Questions|Forming Questions]].</span>
== Basic Rules ==
 
In Finnish, there are two ways to form plurals:
 
1. Add -t or -et at the end of the word
2. Change the vowel(s) in the word
 
=== 1. Adding -t or -et ===
 
The most common way to form plurals in Finnish is to add -t or -et at the end of the word. The ending you choose depends on the word's stem.
 
Words ending with a vowel take -t. For example:
 
{| class="wikitable"
! Finnish !! Pronunciation !! English
|-
| Huone || huↄ-ne || Room
| Kukka || kuk-ka || Flower
| Pöytä || pøy-ta || Table
|}
 
Words ending with -e or -ö take -t. For example:
 
{| class="wikitable"
! Finnish !! Pronunciation !! English
|-
| Lehti || leh-ti || Leaf
| Talvi || tål-vi || Winter
| Kengät || ken-gæt || Shoes (plural only)
|}
 
Words ending with -i, -ä, or a consonant take -et. For example:
 
{| class="wikitable"
! Finnish !! Pronunciation !! English
|-
| Kirja || kir-ja || Book
| Omena || o-me-na || Apple
| Koti || ko-ti || Home
| Talot || tal-ot || Houses
|}
 
=== 2. Changing the Vowel(s) ===
 
A smaller group of Finnish words changes the vowels in the word to form the plural. These words end with -nen, -si, or -ti. Here are some examples:
 
{| class="wikitable"
! Finnish !! Pronunciation !! English
|-
| Kissa || kis-sa || Cat
| Kissat || kis-sæt || Cats
|-
| Asiakas || a-si-a-kas || Customer
| Asiakkaat || a-si-a-kkæt || Customers
|-
| Lintu || lin-tu || Bird
| Linnut || lin-nut || Birds
|}
 
Please note that there are some exceptions to these rules, but we'll get into that in the advanced section of this lesson.
 
Fun fact: Finnish is the official language of Finland, where it's spoken by around 5.5 million people. It's also an official minority language in Sweden. Finnish belongs to the Finno-Ugric language family, which is quite different from the Indo-European languages that dominate much of Europe.
 
== Advanced Rules ==
 
Now that you understand the basic rules of forming plurals in Finnish, let's get into some advanced topics.
 
=== Plurals of Compound Words ===


== Types of Plurals ==
When forming plurals for compound words in Finnish, you only add -t/-et to the last part of the word.


In Finnish, there are two types of plurals: the regular plural and the partitive plural.
{| class="wikitable"
! Finnish !! Pronunciation !! English
|-
| Esimerkkilause || esi-merk-ki-lau-se || Example sentence
| Esimerkkilauseet || esi-merk-ki-lau-se-et || Example sentences
|-
| Aamiaiskattaus || aa-miais-kat-taus || Breakfast table setting
| Aamiaiskattaukset || aa-miais-kat-tauk-set || Breakfast table settings
|}


=== Regular Plural ===
=== Vowel Harmony ===


The regular plural is used to indicate more than one of something. It is formed by adding the suffix -t to the end of the word. For example, the word for "book" in Finnish is kirja, and the plural form is kirjat.  
In Finnish, there is a "vowel harmony" system where the vowels in the suffix must match the vowels in the stem (the base word). This rule applies to words ending in vowels as well as to suffixes with vowels.  


The regular plural is used when talking about things that can be counted, such as books, chairs, or people.  
For example, take the word "koira" (dog) and the suffix -t. To maintain vowel harmony, you would add -t to the end of the word, creating "koirat" (dogs).


=== Partitive Plural ===
However, if the word ends in -nen, -si, or -ti, the vowel in the suffix depends on the vowel that appears before the last consonant of the stem. This can make forming plurals with these words more complicated, and they must be memorized individually.


The partitive plural is used to indicate an unspecified amount of something. It is formed by adding the suffix -a/-ä to the end of the word. For example, the word for "water" in Finnish is vesi, and the partitive plural form is vettä.
For example:


The partitive plural is used when talking about things that cannot be counted, such as water, milk, or snow.
{| class="wikitable"
! Word !! Stem !! Plural
|-
| Näyttelijä || näyt-te-lij-æ || Näyttelijät
| Sotilas || so-ti-læs || Sotilaat
| Johtaja || joht-æ-ja || Johtajat
|}


== Exceptions ==
Fun Fact: The Finnish word for "fun fact" is "hauska tosiasia"!


There are some exceptions to the rules for forming plurals in Finnish. Some words have irregular plural forms, and some words do not change at all.
== Examples in Context ==


For example, the word for "child" in Finnish is lapsi, and the plural form is still lapsi. Similarly, the word for "person" in Finnish is henkilö, and the plural form is still henkilö.
To help you better understand how to use plurals in Finnish, here is a dialogue between two friends, Anna and Juha:


There are also some words that have irregular plural forms. For example, the word for "house" in Finnish is talo, and the plural form is talot. Similarly, the word for "dog" in Finnish is koira, and the plural form is koirat.  
* Anna: Hei Juha, tykkäätkö sinä lukea kirjoja? (Hi Juha, do you like to read books?)
* Juha: Kyllä, mä rakastan kirjoja! (Yes, I love books!)
* Anna: Hienoa! Mulla on muutama kirja, jonka voin lainata sulle. (Great! I have a few books that I can lend you.)
* Juha: Kiitos paljon! Haluaisin lukea vähän enemmän suomalaisia kirjoja. (Thank you very much! I would like to read more Finnish books.)
* Anna: Millaisista kirjoista sä tykkäät? (What kind of books do you like?)
* Juha: No, romanttisista kirjoista ja scifikirjoista. (Well, romantic books and sci-fi books.)
* Anna: Ymmärrän. Mulla on yksi romanttinen kirja ja yksi scifikirja. (I understand. I have one romantic book and one sci-fi book.)
* Juha: Loistavaa! Voinko saada kummankin kirjan lainaksi? (Great! Can I borrow both books?)


== Using Plurals ==
As you can see, Anna and Juha use plural nouns to refer to books in their conversation.


Once you understand the basics of forming plurals in Finnish, it's time to start using them in everyday conversation.
== Practice Exercise ==


When talking about things that can be counted, such as books, chairs, or people, use the regular plural form. For example, if you want to say "I have two books", you would say "Minulla on kaksi kirjaa".
To practice using plurals in Finnish, try to form plurals for the following words:


When talking about things that cannot be counted, such as water, milk, or snow, use the partitive plural form. For example, if you want to say "I have some water", you would say "Minulla on vettä".  
1. Kukka
2. Talo
3. Huoneisto (Apartment)
4. Kissa
5. Koti
6. Kynä (Pen)


It's also important to remember the exceptions to the rules. For example, if you want to say "I have two children", you would say "Minulla on kaksi lasta".
When you're done, check your answers below:


Learning the basics of plurals in Finnish is an important step in mastering the language. With practice and dedication, you'll soon be able to use plurals confidently in everyday conversation.  
1. Kukat
2. Talot
3. Huoneistot
4. Kissat
5. Kodit
6. Kynät


If you're looking for more help with learning Finnish, why not join the Polyglot Club community? [https://PolyglotClub.com Polyglot Club] is a great place to meet other language learners and get advice from experienced teachers.
Well done! Keep practicing!


<br><hr>If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.<br>Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎
➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.<br>
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎


<span class='maj'></span>
==Sources==
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_grammar Finnish grammar - Wikipedia]
* [http://www.thefinnishteacher.com/monikko--the-plural.html Monikko / The Plural - The Finnish Teacher]


* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agglutinative_language Agglutinative Language]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vowel_harmony Vowel Harmony]


==Videos==
{{#seo:
|title=Finnish Grammar - Plurals
|keywords=Plurals, Finnish Grammar, Finnish, Language Learning
|description=In this lesson, you will learn to form plurals in Finnish. Finnish is a Finno-Ugric language that has its own unique ways of forming plurals, which are explored in detail in this lesson.
}}


===Making PLURAL Words in Finnish? - YouTube===
==Other Lessons==
<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVQ_KHj7bAA</youtube>
* [[Language/Finnish/Grammar/Present-Tense|Present Tense]]
* [[Language/Finnish/Grammar/Prepositions|Prepositions]]
* [[Language/Finnish/Grammar/Conditional-Tense|Conditional Tense]]
* [[Language/Finnish/Grammar/Give-your-Opinion|Give your Opinion]]
* [[Language/Finnish/Grammar/Adjectives|Adjectives]]
* [[Language/Finnish/Grammar/Past-Tense|Past Tense]]
* [[Language/Finnish/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have|How to Use Have]]
* [[Language/Finnish/Grammar/Possessive-Case-in-Finnish|Possessive Case in Finnish]]
* [[Language/Finnish/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be|How to Use Be]]


{{Finnish-Page-Bottom}}
{{Finnish-Page-Bottom}}
<span links></span>

Latest revision as of 21:03, 27 March 2023

Finnish-Language-PolyglotClub.png
Finnish Grammar - Plurals

Hi Finnish learners! 😊
In this lesson, you will learn how to form plurals in Finnish. As you may know, Finnish is an agglutinative language, which means that suffixes are added to the end of a word to change its meaning. Understanding how to form plurals in Finnish is essential if you want to communicate effectively in this language. We will also provide cultural and fun facts about Finnish as we go along! So, let's get started!


With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: How to Use Have, Indefinite Articles in Finnish, Past Tense & Forming Questions.

Basic Rules[edit | edit source]

In Finnish, there are two ways to form plurals:

1. Add -t or -et at the end of the word 2. Change the vowel(s) in the word

1. Adding -t or -et[edit | edit source]

The most common way to form plurals in Finnish is to add -t or -et at the end of the word. The ending you choose depends on the word's stem.

Words ending with a vowel take -t. For example:

Finnish Pronunciation English
Huone huↄ-ne Room Kukka kuk-ka Flower Pöytä pøy-ta Table

Words ending with -e or -ö take -t. For example:

Finnish Pronunciation English
Lehti leh-ti Leaf Talvi tål-vi Winter Kengät ken-gæt Shoes (plural only)

Words ending with -i, -ä, or a consonant take -et. For example:

Finnish Pronunciation English
Kirja kir-ja Book Omena o-me-na Apple Koti ko-ti Home Talot tal-ot Houses

2. Changing the Vowel(s)[edit | edit source]

A smaller group of Finnish words changes the vowels in the word to form the plural. These words end with -nen, -si, or -ti. Here are some examples:

Finnish Pronunciation English
Kissa kis-sa Cat Kissat kis-sæt Cats
Asiakas a-si-a-kas Customer Asiakkaat a-si-a-kkæt Customers
Lintu lin-tu Bird Linnut lin-nut Birds

Please note that there are some exceptions to these rules, but we'll get into that in the advanced section of this lesson.

Fun fact: Finnish is the official language of Finland, where it's spoken by around 5.5 million people. It's also an official minority language in Sweden. Finnish belongs to the Finno-Ugric language family, which is quite different from the Indo-European languages that dominate much of Europe.

Advanced Rules[edit | edit source]

Now that you understand the basic rules of forming plurals in Finnish, let's get into some advanced topics.

Plurals of Compound Words[edit | edit source]

When forming plurals for compound words in Finnish, you only add -t/-et to the last part of the word.

Finnish Pronunciation English
Esimerkkilause esi-merk-ki-lau-se Example sentence Esimerkkilauseet esi-merk-ki-lau-se-et Example sentences
Aamiaiskattaus aa-miais-kat-taus Breakfast table setting Aamiaiskattaukset aa-miais-kat-tauk-set Breakfast table settings

Vowel Harmony[edit | edit source]

In Finnish, there is a "vowel harmony" system where the vowels in the suffix must match the vowels in the stem (the base word). This rule applies to words ending in vowels as well as to suffixes with vowels.

For example, take the word "koira" (dog) and the suffix -t. To maintain vowel harmony, you would add -t to the end of the word, creating "koirat" (dogs).

However, if the word ends in -nen, -si, or -ti, the vowel in the suffix depends on the vowel that appears before the last consonant of the stem. This can make forming plurals with these words more complicated, and they must be memorized individually.

For example:

Word Stem Plural
Näyttelijä näyt-te-lij-æ Näyttelijät Sotilas so-ti-læs Sotilaat Johtaja joht-æ-ja Johtajat

Fun Fact: The Finnish word for "fun fact" is "hauska tosiasia"!

Examples in Context[edit | edit source]

To help you better understand how to use plurals in Finnish, here is a dialogue between two friends, Anna and Juha:

  • Anna: Hei Juha, tykkäätkö sinä lukea kirjoja? (Hi Juha, do you like to read books?)
  • Juha: Kyllä, mä rakastan kirjoja! (Yes, I love books!)
  • Anna: Hienoa! Mulla on muutama kirja, jonka voin lainata sulle. (Great! I have a few books that I can lend you.)
  • Juha: Kiitos paljon! Haluaisin lukea vähän enemmän suomalaisia kirjoja. (Thank you very much! I would like to read more Finnish books.)
  • Anna: Millaisista kirjoista sä tykkäät? (What kind of books do you like?)
  • Juha: No, romanttisista kirjoista ja scifikirjoista. (Well, romantic books and sci-fi books.)
  • Anna: Ymmärrän. Mulla on yksi romanttinen kirja ja yksi scifikirja. (I understand. I have one romantic book and one sci-fi book.)
  • Juha: Loistavaa! Voinko saada kummankin kirjan lainaksi? (Great! Can I borrow both books?)

As you can see, Anna and Juha use plural nouns to refer to books in their conversation.

Practice Exercise[edit | edit source]

To practice using plurals in Finnish, try to form plurals for the following words:

1. Kukka 2. Talo 3. Huoneisto (Apartment) 4. Kissa 5. Koti 6. Kynä (Pen)

When you're done, check your answers below:

1. Kukat 2. Talot 3. Huoneistot 4. Kissat 5. Kodit 6. Kynät

Well done! Keep practicing!

➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources[edit | edit source]

Other Lessons[edit | edit source]


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