Määräisen

Määräisen is a Finnish adjective meaning definite, specific, or certain. It is used to describe a noun phrase that has a definite or determined reference, contrasting with epämääräinen, which signals indefiniteness. Finnish does not have a dedicated definite article, so määräinen (and related forms) helps express the notion of definiteness in adjective-noun phrases and compounds such as määräisen määrän or määräisen ajan.

Grammatical notes: Määräinen declines like other Finnish adjectives. The form määräisen is the genitive singular of flatly inflected määräinen, used when the accompanying noun is in the genitive, or in determiner-like constructions. For example, in phrases such as määräisen ajan kuluttua or määräisen rahasumman, the adjective signals that the noun refers to a specific, identifiable quantity or time frame. The adjective also appears in forms like määrät, määrän, or määrisiä when coordinating with plural or different cases, following standard Finnish adjective inflection rules.

Usage: Määräinen is common in written and formal Finnish, especially in linguistic, legal, or technical contexts where precision matters. It often occurs in contrasts like määräisen määrän rahaa (a definite amount of money) versus epämääräinen määrä rahaa (an indefinite amount of money). In everyday speech, speakers more frequently rely on demonstratives or quantifiers (tämä, tuo, jokin, useampia) to convey definiteness, but määräinen remains a standard term in descriptive grammar and dictionaries.

See also: epämääräinen, definiteness in Finnish, Finnish grammar, determiners.