Ystäviä

Ystäviä is Finnish for “friends,” used as the plural partitive form of the noun ystävä (friend). The term describes people with whom one has a social, non-romantic bond characterized by mutual trust and support.

In Finnish grammar, the partitive case expresses indefiniteness, partiality, or actions affecting an object without focusing on its totality. Therefore, the plural partitive form of ystävä is ystäviä. The corresponding nominative plural form is ystävät. Other common forms include the singular nominative ystävä and the genitive plural ystävien.

Usage examples are common in everyday language. For instance: “Minulla on paljon ystäviä,” meaning “I have many friends.” Another example is “Olen tavannut paljon ystäviä viime aikoina,” meaning “I have met many friends recently.” The form ystäviä is often used after words that indicate quantity (such as paljon, monia, useita) or in constructions that refer to an unspecified group of friends.

Cultural note: friendship in Finnish usage tends to emphasize continuity, loyalty, and mutual support, and the term ystävä is widely used across informal and formal contexts. Related terms include ystävällinen (friendly) and ystävyys (friendship).