Inessive / Study Finnish

Inessive

The Inessive (inessiivi) case is part of the internal locative cases. It typically corresponds to the “in” preposition in English, and usually refers to “something being inside of something else”. In Finnish it is indicated by the -ssa/-ssä suffix.

Concept

Including, but not limited to:

When something is inside of something else.
When an object has or contains something.
When phrasing or expressing time.

Usage

When something is inside of something else

If something is inside of something else simply add the -ssa/-ssä suffix.

Table for the list of inessive locative case conjugation examples for when something is inside of something else.
Word	Translation	Example	Example translated
Talo	House	Talossa, taloissa	In the house(s)
Kaappi	Cupboard	Kaapissa, kaapeissa	In the cupboard(s)
Laatikko	Box	Laatikossa, laatikoissa	In the box(es)
Tasku	Pocket	Taskussa, taskuissa	In the pocket(s)
Auto	Car	Autossa, autoissa	In the car(s)

When an object has or contains something

Used when something has or contains a different object inside of it.

Table for the list of inessive locative case conjugation examples for when an object has or contains something.
Word	Translation
Huoneessa on sohva	In the room there is a sofa
Puussa on lintu	In the tree there is a bird
Laatikossa on kuvia	In the box there are some pictures
Kirjahyllyssä on kirjoja	In the bookshelf there are some books
Metsässä on puita	In the forest there are some trees

When phrasing or expressing time

To identify in a describable amount of time how long until something happens.

Table for the list of inessive locative case conjugation examples for when phrasing or expressing time.
Word	Translation
Viidessä minuutissa	In 5 minutes
Kaksi kertaa viikossa	Twice per week
Kerran kuussa	Once per month
Elokussa	In August
Kahdessa vuodessa	In 2 years

Formation

When words end in a single vowel

Words that end in a single vowel of -a/-ä, -o/-ö or -u/-y simply add the -ssa/-ssä suffix.

Table for the list of inessive locative case conjugation examples for when conjugating Finnish words that end in a single vowel of -a/-ä, -o/-ö or -u/-y.
Word	Conjugation
Talo	Talossa
Sänky	Sängyssä
Kaappi	Kaapissa

New Finnish words

New Finnish words typically look or sound like words in other languages. They perhaps most commonly seem to resemble English words. These words simply add the -ssa/-ssä suffix.

Table for the list of inessive locative case conjugation examples for when conjugating new Finnish words.
Word	Conjugation
Pankki	Pankissa
Bussi	Bussissa
Kahvi	Kahvissa

Old Finnish words

Old Finnish words that end in -i change to -e before adding the -ssa/-ssä suffix.

Table for the list of inessive locative case conjugation examples for when conjugating old Finnish words that end in -i.
Word	Conjugation
Suomi	Suomessa
Järvi	Järvessä
Kivi	Kivessä