Antamaasi

Antamaasi is a Finnish grammatical form derived from the verb antaa, meaning to give. It is the past active participle with the second-person possessive suffix -si, used in relative clauses to denote something that was given by the addressee. In practice, antamaasi functions as a modifier meaning “that you gave,” and it combines with a following noun in the appropriate case, for example antamaasi kirjaa meaning “the book you gave” or antamaasi lahjaa meaning “the gift you gave.”

Usage and function: The form is used to specify the agent of the giving action (the person being addressed) within a noun phrase. It typically appears in subordinate clauses that modify a head noun and can replace a separate relative clause in Finnish. Antamaasi can be integrated into both formal and informal contexts, though it is most common in written Finnish and in sentences requiring precise reference.

Morphology and agreement: Antamaasi arises from the past active participle stem antama- combined with the second-person possessive suffix -si, which signals that the action of giving is associated with the listener. The entire phrase then governs the following noun in its case form, producing phrases like antamaasi kirjaa or antamaasi lahjaa.

Limitations: The construction presupposes a definite addressee and a definite noun being modified. It is not typically used to refer to things given by third parties or to indefinite, unspecified objects without a clear referent.

See also: Finnish grammar, participles, relative clauses.