Language/Finnish/Grammar/Finnish-Cases

Finnish → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Finnish Cases

Welcome to a fascinating exploration of Finnish Cases! In this lesson, we will dive into one of the most intriguing aspects of the Finnish language. Finnish is renowned for its rich case system, which can initially seem overwhelming, but fear not! By the end of this session, you'll have a solid grasp of how cases work and how to use them effectively in your own sentences.

Importance of Finnish Cases

Finnish cases are essential because they show the grammatical function of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives within a sentence. Unlike English, which relies heavily on word order to convey meaning, Finnish uses cases to indicate the role of a word. Understanding cases is crucial for forming correct sentences and making your Finnish sound natural.

Lesson Outline

1. Introduction to Finnish Cases

2. The Different Cases

• Nominative

• Genitive

• Accusative

• Partitive

• Inessive

• Elative

• Illative

• Adessive

• Ablative

• Allative

• Essive

• Translative

3. Examples of Each Case

4. Practice Exercises

5. Conclusion

Introduction to Finnish Cases

Finnish cases can be likened to the different hats a noun can wear. Each hat (case) gives the noun a specific role and meaning in the sentence. By learning the cases, you will not only expand your vocabulary but also enhance your ability to communicate effectively in Finnish.

The Different Cases

Now, let’s explore the different Finnish cases in detail.

Nominative

The nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence. It is the base form of the noun.

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
koira	/ˈkoi̯rɑ/	dog
kissa	/ˈkissɑ/	cat
auto	/ˈɑuto/	car
talo	/ˈtɑlo/	house
puu	/ˈpuu/	tree

Genitive

The genitive case indicates possession. It often translates to "of" in English.

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
koiran	/ˈkoi̯rɑn/	of the dog
kissan	/ˈkissɑn/	of the cat
auton	/ˈɑuton/	of the car
talon	/ˈtɑlon/	of the house
puun	/ˈpuun/	of the tree

Accusative

The accusative case is used for the direct object of a sentence.

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
koiran	/ˈkoi̯rɑn/	(a/the) dog
kissan	/ˈkissɑn/	(a/the) cat
auton	/ˈɑuton/	(a/the) car
talon	/ˈtɑlon/	(a/the) house
puun	/ˈpuun/	(a/the) tree

Partitive

The partitive case signifies an incomplete quantity or a part of something.

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
koiraa	/ˈkoi̯rɑː/	some dog
kissaa	/ˈkissɑː/	some cat
autoa	/ˈɑutoː/	some car
taloa	/ˈtɑloː/	some house
puuta	/ˈpuːtɑ/	some tree

Inessive

The inessive case indicates "in" or "inside."

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
koirassa	/ˈkoi̯rɑsːɑ/	in the dog
kissassa	/ˈkissɑsːɑ/	in the cat
autossa	/ˈɑutosːɑ/	in the car
talossa	/ˈtɑlosːɑ/	in the house
puussa	/ˈpuːsːɑ/	in the tree

Elative

The elative case indicates "out of" or "from inside."

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
koirasta	/ˈkoi̯rɑstɑ/	out of the dog
kissasta	/ˈkissɑstɑ/	out of the cat
autosta	/ˈɑutostɑ/	out of the car
talosta	/ˈtɑlostɑ/	out of the house
puusta	/ˈpuːstɑ/	out of the tree

Illative

The illative case indicates movement "into" or "to."

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
koiraan	/ˈkoi̯rɑn/	into the dog
kissaan	/ˈkissɑn/	into the cat
autoon	/ˈɑutoːn/	into the car
taloon	/ˈtɑloːn/	into the house
puuhun	/ˈpuːhun/	into the tree

Adessive

The adessive case indicates "on" or "at."

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
koiralla	/ˈkoi̯rɑlːɑ/	on the dog
kissalla	/ˈkissɑlːɑ/	on the cat
autolla	/ˈɑutolːɑ/	on the car
talolla	/ˈtɑlolːɑ/	on the house
puulla	/ˈpuːlːɑ/	on the tree

Ablative

The ablative case indicates "from" or "off."

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
koiralta	/ˈkoi̯rɑltɑ/	from the dog
kissalta	/ˈkissɑltɑ/	from the cat
autolta	/ˈɑutoltɑ/	from the car
talolta	/ˈtɑlolːɑ/	from the house
puulta	/ˈpuːltɑ/	from the tree

Allative

The allative case indicates "to" or "onto."

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
koiralle	/ˈkoi̯rɑlːe/	to the dog
kissalle	/ˈkissɑlːe/	to the cat
autolle	/ˈɑutolːe/	to the car
talolle	/ˈtɑlolːe/	to the house
puulle	/ˈpuːlːe/	to the tree

Essive

The essive case indicates a temporary state or condition, often translated as "as."

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
koirana	/ˈkoi̯rɑnɑ/	as a dog
kissana	/ˈkissɑnɑ/	as a cat
autona	/ˈɑutonɑ/	as a car
talona	/ˈtɑlonɑ/	as a house
puuna	/ˈpuːnɑ/	as a tree

Translative

The translative case indicates a change or transformation, often translated as "into."

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
koiraksi	/ˈkoi̯rɑkːi/	into a dog
kissaksi	/ˈkissɑkːi/	into a cat
autoksi	/ˈɑutokːi/	into a car
taloksi	/ˈtɑlokːi/	into a house
puuksi	/ˈpuːkːi/	into a tree

Examples of Each Case

Let’s see how these cases function in real sentences.

1. Nominative:

• Koira haukkuu. (The dog barks.)

2. Genitive:

• Kissan häntä on pitkä. (The cat's tail is long.)

3. Accusative:

• Näen koiran. (I see a dog.)

4. Partitive:

• Haluan kissaa. (I want some cat.)

5. Inessive:

• Kissa on laatikossa. (The cat is in the box.)

6. Elative:

• Otan kirjan laatikosta. (I take the book out of the box.)

7. Illative:

• Laitan kirjan laatikkoon. (I put the book into the box.)

8. Adessive:

• Kirja on pöydällä. (The book is on the table.)

9. Ablative:

• Otan kirjan pöydältä. (I take the book from the table.)

10. Allative:

• Laitan kirjan pöydälle. (I put the book on the table.)

11. Essive:

• Olen opettajana. (I am a teacher.)

12. Translative:

• Muutan opettajaksi. (I change into a teacher.)

Practice Exercises

To solidify your understanding, let’s do some exercises!

1. Translate the following sentences into Finnish using the correct case.

• a. The cat is on the table.

• b. I see the dog.

• c. He is from Finland.

2. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the noun in brackets.

• a. Koira on _____ (pöytä).

• b. Laitan kissa _____ (laatikko).

• c. Otan puu _____ (metsä).

3. Change the following sentences by using the indicated case.

• a. (Genitive) The dog's bone is here.

• b. (Partitive) I want some milk.

4. Match the Finnish case to its English meaning.

• a. Nominative

• b. Genitive

• c. Accusative

• d. Partitive

• e. Inessive

5. Create sentences using the following cases.

• a. Essive

• b. Translative

Solutions and Explanations

1.

• a. Kissa on pöydällä.

• b. Näen koiran.

• c. Hän on Suomesta.

2.

• a. Koira on pöydällä.

• b. Laitan kissan laatikkoon.

• c. Otan puun metsästä.

3.

• a. Koiran luu on täällä.

• b. Haluan maitoa.

4.

• a - Subject

• b - Possession

• c - Direct object

• d - Incomplete quantity

• e - Inside

5.

• a. Olen opettajana.

• b. Muutan opettajaksi.

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing this lesson on Finnish cases! You’ve taken a significant step towards mastering a fundamental aspect of the Finnish language. Remember that practice is key. Use the cases in your daily conversations, and soon they will become second nature. Keep up the great work, and get ready for the next exciting lesson!

Table of Contents - Finnish Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Finnish

• Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Basic Sentence Structure

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Nouns and Adjectives

• Noun Cases
• Adjective Agreement

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-20
• Telling Time

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Daily Activities

• Daily Routine
• Hobbies and Leisure

  ---

Questions and Negation

• Forming Questions
• Negation

  ---

Food and Dining

• Food Vocabulary
• Dining Out

  ---

Prepositions and Postpositions

• Prepositions
• Postpositions

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

  ---

Finnish Culture and Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Finnish Sauna

  ---

Weather and Seasons

• Weather Vocabulary
• Seasons

  ---

Conjunctions and Subordinate Clauses

• Conjunctions
• Subordinate Clauses

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships

  ---

Finnish Literature and Music

• Finnish Literature
• Finnish Music

Sources

• Finnish grammar - Wikipedia
• The unbearable beauty of Finnish grammar - thisisFINLAND
• Finnish noun cases - Wikipedia
• Cases in Finnish

Other Lessons

• How to Use Be
• Finnish Verb Tenses
• Finnish Participles
• Sami and Karelian Languages
• Prepositions
• Basic Finnish Phonetics
• Negation
• Present Tense
• Adjectives
• 0 to A1 Course