Adessiivimuoto

Adessiivimuoto, or the adessive case, is a Finnish grammatical case used primarily to mark location on a surface or at a place. It is usually formed with the suffix -lla or -llä (singular) and -illa or -illä (plural). Examples: talo -> talolla (on/at the house), pöytä -> pöydällä (on the table). In plural, the form attaches to the plural stem, as in pöydät -> pöydillä (on the tables). The adessive can also indicate means or instrumentality, as in käsillä or käsin.

In addition to locating something in space, the adessive appears in expressions that denote possession or existence with certain verbs. A common construction is minulla on something, or hänellä on auto, meaning “I have” or “they have.” Here the possessor is expressed in the adessive form: minulla, hänellä, meillä, teillä, heillä. The adessive can therefore mark the actor or possessor in existential clauses.

Usage notes and contrasts: the adessive contrasts with the inessive (on/in inside), illative (into), and other case forms that convey different directional or locational meanings. For example, talolla (on the house) versus talossa (in the house) distinguish surface location from interior location. The adessive is also used with instruments or means of doing something: kirjoitan käsillä/kädellä (I write with my hands).

See also: Finnish grammar, locative cases, possessive constructions.