Illatiivisana

Illatiivisana is a term used in Finnish grammar to refer to the illative case suffix, which marks destination or motion into a place or object. It is one of Finnish’s locative cases and answers the question mihin? (to where?). The illative is commonly used with verbs of motion and in constructions describing direction or goal, such as mennä (to go) or päästä (to get into).

Formation and forms: The illative suffix attaches to the noun stem and has several allomorphs depending on the stem and vowel harmony. In singular, typical endings include -oon/-öön, -in/-iin, and -aan/-än, among others. Examples: talo → taloon (into the house), koti → kotiin (into the home), järvi → järveen (into the lake), metsä → metsään (into the forest). The exact form depends on the stem’s structure and the vowels involved.

Plural illative forms are usually formed with endings such as -iin or -oihin, yielding expressions like taloihin (into the houses), koteihin (into homes), järviin (into the lakes), metsiin (into forests). These forms reflect how the illative adapts when the noun is pluralized.

Usage notes: The illative contrasts with other locative cases (like inessive, elative) and is often selected when indicating a destination during movement or when describing going “into” a location or object. While primarily attached to nouns, the illative can appear in fixed expressions and with pronouns that take noun-like forms.

See also: Finnish grammar, illative case, locative cases in Finnish.