Genitiiviin

Genitiiviin is the Finnish term associated with the genitive case (genetiivi) in Finnish grammar. The genitive marks a possession or close relationship between nouns and is used to express ownership, origin, material, or association within noun phrases.

In singular, the genitive typically forms by adding a suffix to the noun stem. A common pattern is the ending -n, as in talo (house) turning into talon (the house’s, of the house) and koira (dog) turning into koiran (the dog’s, of the dog). The exact form can vary with the noun’s stem and consonant or vowel harmony, producing forms such as talon, koiran, and others. In plural, genitive endings are more diverse; common patterns include -en and -ien, among others, yielding talojen and koirien, respectively. The plural genitive endings depend on the word’s class and phonology.

One of the primary uses of the genitive is to express possession in noun phrases. For example, koiran talo means “the dog’s house.” The genitive can also appear with pronouns to indicate ownership, and it interacts with other grammatical constructions in Finnish, such as when multiple nouns form a possessive compound or when the possessor is itself a noun phrase.

The genitive is a core part of Finnish noun inflection and interacts with pronunciation, vowel harmony, and stem changes. Understanding its endings and patterns helps in forming correct possessive and relational phrases in Finnish. See also genitiivi, Finnish grammar, and noun cases.