Materiaalilla

Materiaalilla is a Finnish noun form meaning “with the material” or “on the material.” It is the adessive singular of materiaali (material) and is used to express location on a surface, a point of reference related to a material, or the instrument/means by which an action is performed. Because of its broad meaning, materiaalilla can function in several ways within sentences, depending on the surrounding context.

In practice, materiaalilla appears most often in discussions of art, design, manufacturing, and science where the material itself or the medium used in an activity is important. It can indicate the surface or object that something is placed on, as well as the material used to carry out an action (for example, the tool or medium employed). The exact translation—“on the material” or “with the material”—depends on how the sentence frames the action.

Grammatically, materiaalilla is formed from the stem materiaali plus the locative suffix -lla. It belongs to the broad family of case forms that Finnish uses to convey place, means, or context. It is related to, but distinct from, other cases such as materiaalista (from material) and materiaalille (to the material), which signal different relationships to the same base word.

In translation, the nuance of materiaalilla emerges from context: it often conveys materiality, medium, or surface reference, rather than a simple categorical noun. See also Finnish language, Finnish grammar, adessive case, materiaali.