Vanhoihin

Vanhoihin is a Finnish grammatical form, not a standalone concept. It is the illative-case plural form of the adjective vanha, used when the noun it modifies is plural and in the illative case (indicating motion toward or into something). The basic meaning conveyed is roughly “to the old ones” or “to old [things/people],” depending on the noun it accompanies.

In Finnish, adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in number and case. When the noun is plural and the phrase is in illative, the adjective takes the form vanhoihin. For example, vanhoihin taloihin means “to the old houses,” and vanhoihin ihmisiin means “to the old people.” The noun itself can be explicit or omitted in contexts where the reference is clear from context.

Usage notes:

- Vanhoihin commonly appears with a following noun in everyday and formal language, but the noun may be ellipted if its reference is understood.

- The form is characteristic of Finnish grammar and illustrates how adjectives inflect for number and case in a highly agglutinative system.

Relation to other forms:

- Vanha serves as the base adjective meaning “old.”

- The illative plural form contrasts with other cases and numbers, such as vanha in singular nominative or vanhat in plural nominative.

See also:

- Finnish grammar

- Adjective declension in Finnish

- Illative case

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