Infinitiivin

Infinitiivin is the genitive singular form of the Finnish noun infinitiivi, which denotes the infinitive in Finnish grammar. The infinitive is a non-finite verb form that names an action in abstract terms and does not specify a subject, person, or tense. In Finnish grammar, infinitives are studied as a broad category called infinitiivit, which encompasses several forms used in different syntactic constructions.

The term Infinitiivin appears mainly in linguistic and grammatical writing. It is used in phrases such as infinitiivin käyttö (the use of the infinitive), infinitiivin merkitys (the meaning of the infinitive), and infinitiivin taivutus (the inflection or usage forms of the infinitive). Because Finnish nouns decline in cases, the genitive singular ends with -in, yielding infinitiivin. The corresponding plural genitive is infinitiivien.

Etymology: infinitiivi is borrowed from Latin infinitivus, adapted through Finnic and Scandinavian linguistic history to denote the non-finite verb forms. The genitive form infinitiivin reflects Finnish grammar’s system of noun inflection and is used when discussing the concept in written or formal contexts.

Usage notes: Infinitiivin is a specialized term found in grammars, dictionaries, and language descriptions. In everyday language, speakers refer to the infinitive itself (infinitiivi) rather than its genitive form, except when quoting or analyzing grammatical terminology.

See also: Infini­tiivi (the broader concept of the Finnish infinitive)