Nimisõnalisse

Nimisõnalisse is the illative singular form of the Estonian adjective nimisõnaline, i.e., the form used to mean “into the nominal” or “into the nominal form.” The term arises in discussions of grammar and linguistic analysis when referring to transformations or categorizations that involve nouns or noun-like forms.

In Estonian, adjectives decline for case, number, and gender (though there is no gender in Estonian). The illative form nimisõnalisse is used when the adjective modifies a noun in a position that expresses movement toward or into a state described as nominal. A typical usage is in instructional or analytic contexts, such as phrases meaning “into nominal form.” For example, the instruction Sõna tuleb teisendada nimisõnalisse vormi can be understood as “The word must be transformed into nominal form.”

Nimisõnalise, nimisõnalise vormi, and nimisõnalisse illustrate how nimisõnaline behaves like a regular adjective by taking different case endings to fit the syntactic role of the noun it describes. This pattern is part of standard Estonian grammar, where adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in case and number.

Etymology and semantics: nimisõnaline combines nimisõna (noun) with a derivational suffix that creates an adjective meaning “nominal” or “noun-related.” The illative nimisõnalisse then marks the direction toward that nominal state within a sentence.

See also: nimisõna (noun), nimisõnaline (nominal, adjective form).