Yhdestä

yhdestä is the elative singular form of the Finnish numeral yksi, meaning “from one.” In Finnish grammar, yksi is a numeral that declines like a small adjective, and yhdestä marks origin, source, or starting point when used with a noun in the elative case. The ending -stä/-stä signals elative, which is used to express movement away from a source or the idea of “from a single unit.”

Usage and examples:

yhdestä is commonly seen in phrases that describe origin from a single item or unit. Examples include yhdestä kaupungista (from one city) and yhdestä lähteestä (from one source). In these constructions, the noun following yhdestä is in its own elative form, illustrating the relationship “from one [X].”

Relation to related forms:

yhdestä is specifically the elative form of yksi. Other case forms of yksi include yhden (genitive), yhtä (partitive), yhteen (illative), yhdessä (in or with), and yhdeksan or yhdellä/yhdellä (various instrumental-like or adessive meanings depending on the noun). The common word yhdessä, often meaning “together” or “in one place,” is a different form and has a distinct meaning from yhdestä.

Etymology and nuance:

The word derives from yksi, the basic number "one." The elative yhdestä emphasizes origin from a single unit rather than quantity or completion, and it is used within sentences that require the elative case after a numeral.

See also:

yksi, yhdessä, lähde, kaupungin.