Essiiviga

Essiiviga refers to the essive case, a grammatical case used in Finnish and other Finnic languages to express a temporary state or role. It corresponds roughly to the English phrase “as” or “in the capacity of,” indicating how something or someone exists or acts at a given time.

In Finnish, the essive is typically formed by adding the suffix -na or -nä to the noun stem, with vowel harmony influencing which form occurs. Examples include opettaja (teacher) becoming opettajana meaning “as a teacher,” and opettajina for the plural “as teachers.” The essive often appears with verbs that express functioning or acting in a certain role, and it can contrast with the nominative or other cases that indicate identity rather than function.

In Estonian and other Finnic languages, a similar formation exists, with corresponding forms such as õpetajana in Estonian for “as a teacher.” While the precise inflectional details vary by language, the general function remains: the essive marks a temporary state, status, or role rather than a permanent attribute.

Usage notes include that the essive is commonly used with predicative constructions and phrases describing how someone or something is functioning in a given context. It can be contrasted with other state or direction cases, such as the translative, which marks a change of state or becoming rather than a current role.

Overall, essiiviga denotes “as” or “in the state of” in the sense of temporary identity or function, and it is a key component of the grammar of Finnish and related Finnic languages. See also the essive case and related state or direction cases in Finnic grammar.