Selittäviin

Selittäviin is the illative plural form of the Finnish adjective selittävä, meaning “explanatory” or “clarifying.” In Finnish, adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in number and case, and selittäviin appears when the modified noun is plural and in the illative case (the case used to express movement toward something). The illative plural suffix is -iin, so the stem selittävä combines with -iin to form selittäviin. Commonly seen in phrases such as selittäviin kysymyksiin or selittäviin esimerkkeihin, the form signals direction toward or focus on items intended to explain.

Usage and nuance: The form is mainly found in formal or academic Finnish, particularly in discussions about questions, examples, or other elements designed to facilitate explanation. In everyday speech, speakers typically use other inflected forms, such as selittäviä kysymyksiä (partitive plural) to describe explanatory questions, or they employ different constructions that do not require the illative plural. An illustrative sentence is Tutkimus suunnattiin selittäviin kysymyksiin, meaning “The study was directed at explanatory questions.” The illative form emphasizes movement toward or focus on those explanatory elements within a discourse.

Etymology and related forms: The form derives from the stem selittäv- (from selittää “to explain”) with the participial adjective suffix -vä, producing selittävä (explanatory). The illative plural suffix -iin attaches to yield selittäviin. Related forms include the base adjective selittävä and other cases of the noun-adjective agreement in Finnish grammar.