Inessiivimonikon

Inessiivimonikon is a term used in Finnish grammar to describe the set of inflected forms that combine the inessive case with a possessive suffix. It characterizes how location inside something belonging to someone is expressed, for example in phrases like “in my house” or “in our houses.”

Formation and structure: In Finnish, the inessive case is indicated by the suffix -ssa or -ssä, attached to the noun stem. Possessive suffixes then attach after the case suffix to mark the possessor. The common possessive endings are -ni (my), -si (your singular), -nsa/-nsä (his/her/its), -mme (our), -nne (your plural), and -nsä (their). The resulting forms have the form stem + inessive suffix + possessive suffix, for example talossani (in my house), talossasi (in your house), talossansa (in his/her house), talossamme (in our house), talossanne (in your house, plural), talossansa (in their house). The order is typically the inessive suffix first, followed by the possessive suffix.

Examples and usage: The inessiivimonikon forms are used with any noun to express location within something that belongs to someone. They especially appear when the possessor is explicit in the sentence. The third-person possessive suffix -nsa/-nsä is common, and in the inessive forms talossansa can be ambiguous between “in his/her house” and “in their house,” depending on context. The forms also reflect vowel harmony in the suffixes (-ssa vs -ssä) and agree with the possessor in person and number.

See also: Inessive, possessive suffixes, Finnish grammar.