Valkoiseksi

Valkoiseksi is the translative form of the Finnish adjective valkoinen, meaning “white.” In Finnish grammar, the translative case expresses a change of state or becoming something, roughly equivalent to “to become white” or “to turn white” in English. It is also used with verbs of making or finishing, such as painting, to indicate the result of the action.

The form is created by adding the translative suffix -ksi to the stem valko-, yielding valkoiseksi. It appears in sentences where a subject undergoes a change to the white state, or where something is made white. In plural contexts the form changes to valkoisiksi, for example with the subject seinät (the walls): Seinät maalattiin valkoisiksi (“The walls were painted white”).

Common uses include combinations with verbs of change or creation, such as tulla valkoiseksi (to become white), muuttua valkoiseksi (to turn white), and maalata valkoiseksi (to paint white). The translative can also appear in descriptive phrases that express a resulting color or condition.

Etymology traces valkoiseksi to the base adjective valkoinen plus the translative suffix -ksi. It is a standard part of everyday Finnish, especially in contexts describing color changes, interior finishing, or natural processes that lead to a white result.

See also valkoinen, which is the positive form of the adjective, and valkoisuus, the noun form referring to whiteness.