Yksikönmuoto

Yksikönmuoto is a Finnish grammatical term referring to the singular form of a noun. Finnish nouns decline, meaning they change their endings to indicate grammatical case, number, and possession. The yksikönmuoto represents the base form of a noun when it appears in its singular state. This is distinct from the monikonmuoto, which is the plural form.

For example, the Finnish word "talo" means "house" in its singular form (yksikönmuoto). When referring to multiple houses, the plural form (monikonmuoto) "talot" is used. Similarly, cases also apply to the singular form. The nominative case is often considered the basic singular form. However, when a noun is in a different case, such as genitive, partitive, or illative, it is still considered to be in yksikönmuoto if it refers to a single entity. For instance, "talon" (of the house, genitive singular) and "taloa" (house, partitive singular) are both in yksikönmuoto. Understanding the concept of yksikönmuoto is fundamental to comprehending Finnish noun declension and sentence structure.