Elatiivimuodon

Elatiivimuoto, ellerelatiiv (elative case) in Finnish grammar, is a case used to express origin, source, or movement out from a location or material. It answers questions such as “From where?” or “Out of what?” and is commonly found in sentences about coming from a place or deriving something from a substance.

The elative is formed by adding the suffix -sta or -stä to the stem of the word. The choice between -sta and -stä follows vowel harmony: -sta is used with back vowels (a, o, u, aa, oo, uu) and -stä with front vowels (ä, ö, y, i, e). In practice, many nouns simply take -sta or -stä on their stem (for example, talo → talosta, Suomi → Suomesta, vesi → vedestä). Some nouns show irregularities or require minor stem adjustments, and proper names can take forms like Helsingistä.

Common uses include indicating origin from a place (talosta = from the house, Suomesta = from Finland), indicating the source of material or content (puusta = from wood, kahvista = from coffee), or signaling movement away from something (from within a space). The elative often contrasts with other cases that express location or direction, such as inessive (in) or illative (into).

Notes on usage: the elative commonly appears with verbs of coming from, leaving, or being derived from something, and it can appear with both concrete and abstract sources. Mastery of elatiivimuoto requires attention to vowel harmony and, in some words, to irregular stem changes, especially with proper nouns and words with consonant gradation.