adjektiivin

Adjektiivin is the genitive singular form of the Finnish noun adjektiivi, which means “an adjective.” In linguistic and grammar discussions, the term adjektiivin is used when referring to adjectives themselves, rather than the adjectives as modifiers of nouns. For example, phrases like adjektiivin taivutus (the inflection of adjectives) or adjektiivin vertailu (the comparison of adjectives) rely on this genitive form.

In Finnish grammar, adjectives describe nouns and must agree with the noun in number and case. They do not reflect gender, and Finnish does not use articles. Adjektivit can appear before the noun in a noun phrase, as in suuri talo (a large house), where the adjective follows the same declensional pattern as the noun it modifies. The primary functions of adjectives are to modify meaning and to contribute to grammatical agreement within the noun phrase.

Finnish adjectives also participate in degree comparison, forming comparative and superlative forms with suffixes such as -mpi and -in for many adjectives (for example, suuri → isompi → isoin). This morphological behavior, together with their agreement properties, is a central topic in Finnish syntax and morphology and often appears in grammar descriptions that might mention the term adjektiivin.

Etymology: The word adjektiivi comes from the Latin adjectivus, via the Swedish adjektiv, reflecting historical linguistic contact. The genitive form adjektiivin is simply the possessive form used when discussing the word itself in grammar. See also adjektiivi.