Illative
The Illative (illatiivi) case is part of the internal locative cases. It typically corresponds to the “into” preposition in English, and usually refers to a change or observation of “something going from outside to inside”. In Finnish it is indicated by the -Vn suffix, where the V is a vowel followed by an -n.
Concept
- When something is going to and into something else.
- When phrasing or expressing time.
Usage
When something is going to and into something else, double the vowel and add the appropriate -Vn or -hVn suffix.
| Word | Translation | Example | Example translated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word Talo | Translation House |
Example
Taloon, taloihin | Example translated Into the house(s) |
| Word Kaappi | Translation Cupboard |
Example
Kaappiin, kaappeihin | Example translated Into the cupboard(s) |
| Word Laatikko | Translation Box |
Example
Laatikkoon, laatikoihin | Example translated Into the box(es) |
| Word Tasku | Translation Pocket |
Example
Taskuun, taskuihin | Example translated Into the pocket(s) |
| Word Auto | Translation Car |
Example
Autoon, autoihin | Example translated Into the car(s) |
To identify the time until something occurs the Illative case is used.
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| Word Kolmeen asti | Translation Until 3 |
| Word Iltaan asti | Translation Until the evening |
| Word Elokuuhun asti | Translation Until August |
| Word Keskipäivästä keskiyöhön asti | Translation From noon until midnight |
| Word Ensi vuoteen asti | Translation Until next year |
Formation
Words that end in a single vowel of -a/-ä, -o/-ö or -u/-y double their last vowel before adding the -n suffix.
| Word | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Word Talo | Conjugation Taloon |
| Word Sänky | Conjugation Sänkyyn |
| Word Kaappi | Conjugation Kaappiin |
Words which have a stem that ends in 2 of the same vowels simply add the _-seen suffix.
| Word | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Word Huonee- | Conjugation Huoneeseen |
| Word Osoitee- | Conjugation Osoitteeseen |
| Word Espoo- | Conjugation Espooseen |
Words which have a stem that end in 2 different vowels double their last vowel before adding the -n suffix.
| Word | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Word Museo | Conjugation Museoon |
| Word Vaikea | Conjugation Vaikeaan |
| Word Pimeä | Conjugation Pimeään |
Words that are only 1 syllable and end in 2 vowels add an -hVn pattern suffix, where the vowel in the middle of the suffix is the same as the last vowel of the word.
| Word | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Word Kuu | Conjugation Kuuhun |
| Word Maa | Conjugation Maahan |
| Word Yö | Conjugation Yöhön |
Words that end in -nen change to -se before adding the -en suffix.
| Word | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Word Suomalainen | Conjugation Suomalaiseen |
| Word Sininen | Conjugation Siniseen |
| Word Ukkonen | Conjugation Ukkoseen |
New Finnish words typically look or sound like words in other languages. They perhaps most commonly seem to resemble English words. These words double their last vowel before adding the -n suffix.
| Word | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Word Pankki | Conjugation Pankkiin |
| Word Bussi | Conjugation Bussiin |
| Word Kahvi | Conjugation Kahviin |
Old Finnish words that end in -i change to -e before adding the -en suffix.
| Word | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Word Suomi | Conjugation Suomeen |
| Word Järvi | Conjugation Järveen |
| Word Kivi | Conjugation Kiveen |
Old Finnish words that end in -si change to -te before adding the -en suffix.
| Word | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Word Uusi | Conjugation Uuteen |
| Word Kuukausi | Conjugation Kuukauteen |
| Word Vuosi | Conjugation Vuoteen |