Predikatiivi

Predikatiivi is a term in Finnish grammar referring to a predicative complement that follows a copular verb and identifies or describes the subject of the sentence. It serves to express identity, classification, or a state of the subject, rather than providing information about an object.

In Finnish, the predikatiivi is typically realized by a noun, a pronoun, or an adjective in the nominative case. Common constructions use the copular verb olla: Hän on opettaja (She/He is a teacher). Adjectival predicatives also appear in this position: Se on kaunis (It is beautiful). The predikatiivi is part of the predicate and complements the subject, standing outside of any noun phrase that may modify the subject.

The predikatiivi is distinguished from attributive modifiers that directly modify a noun within a noun phrase. While adjectives can describe a noun, predikatiivi provides information about the subject as a whole, linked by the verb. Finnish sentences can thus express identity, role, or state through the predikatiivi rather than through objects or direct modifiers.

Cross-linguistically, predikatiivi corresponds to the predicative adjective or predicative noun in many languages, as in English is blue or became a teacher. In Finnish, it is a core element of the clause structure with verbs like olla; it is an essential mechanism for stating what the subject is or becomes.