Transitiivisessa

Transitiivisessa is a Finnish phrase that literally means “in the transitive.” In linguistic grammar it is most often encountered as the inessive form of the adjective transitiivinen and is used in constructions such as transitiivisessa käytössä, meaning “in the transitive use.” The term serves to describe a context or analysis in which a verb is treated as transitive, i.e., it takes a direct object.

Transitivity in Finnish grammar refers to whether a verb can or must take a direct object. Transitive verbs can have objects that denote what is affected by the action, while intransitive verbs do not; some verbs can be used both transitively and intransitively, depending on sense. In practice, Finnish marks the object with cases such as partitive or, in other circumstances, other object-marking forms, and these choices often reflect aspect, definiteness, and the speaker’s perspective on the action.

The concept is commonly discussed in descriptive grammar and language studies. For example, a sentence where the verb takes a direct object in a concrete sense is described as using the verb transitively, whereas a sentence describing a state or an intransitive action (without a direct object) is described as intransitively. Many common Finnish verbs are inherently transitive, but the same verb can sometimes appear intransitive when used with certain meanings or constructions.

In analysis, distinguishing between transitive and intransitive usage helps explain word order variations, object marking, and how meaning shifts with aspect or intensity. Related terms include transitivity, ambitransitive verbs (capable of both uses), and the broader study of Finnish syntax and clause structure.