erottavien

Erottavien is a Finnish word form that functions as the genitive plural of the adjective erottava, itself derived from the verb erottaa meaning to separate or distinguish. In Finnish, adjectives and present participles decline to agree with the noun they modify in case and number, and the ending -ien marks genitive plural for many adjectives and participles. Therefore erottavien appears when the noun phrase is in genitive plural, as in erottavien ominaisuuksien mukaan.

Usage and meaning

Erottava means distinguishing or separating, and erottavien is used to describe features, criteria, or factors that serve to differentiate items within a group. The phrase erottavien ominaisuuksien mukaan, for example, translates to “based on distinguishing features.” Other common collocations include erottavien piirteiden tai ominaisuuksien, illustrating its role in analytic or descriptive writing.

Grammatical notes

Finnish adjectives and participles inflect for number and case. The form erottavien corresponds specifically to genitive plural modification, aligning with a genitive plural noun that it describes. This type of form is typical in technical, scientific, and comparative contexts where multiple items are being characterized.

Related forms

- erottava: the base adjective or present-participle form meaning distinguishing.

- erottavaisuus or erottuvuus: nominalizations referring to the quality of being distinguishable, sometimes used in broader descriptive language.

See also

Finnish grammar on participles and attributive adjectives, and examples of genitive plural agreement.