Ensimmäiseen

Ensimmäiseen is the illative singular form of the Finnish adjective ensimmäinen, meaning “the first.” It is used to express movement toward or into something that is understood as the first in a sequence, position, or category. In Finnish, illative forms indicate direction toward a destination, and when combined with a noun, ensimmäiseen functions as a modifier in the illative singular.

Form and usage notes:

- The form ensimmäiseen is produced from the stem of ensimmäinen by adding the illative suffix -iseen, a pattern shared by many adjectives ending in -inen.

- It agrees with the noun it modifies in number (singular) and is not gender-marked, reflecting Finnish grammar where adjectives do not have gender.

- Common contexts include places or points of reference indicating direction: for example, ensimmäiseen kerrokseen means “to the first floor,” or ensimmäiseen luokkaan would mean “to the first class/grade” depending on the noun used.

Examples:

- Menen ensimmäiseen kerrokseen hissillä. (I go to the first floor by elevator.)

Etymology and relation:

- The form derives from the Finnish word for “first,” ensimmäinen, and its inflected illative forms. It is one of several illative forms that allow speakers to denote direction toward a specified ordinal sense.

See also:

- Finnish grammar

- Illative case

- Adjectives

- Ordinal numbers