essiivimuotoja

Essiivimuotoja, or the essive case, is one of the Finnish grammatical cases used to express a temporary state, condition, or role. It corresponds roughly to the English “as” or “in the capacity of” and is often used with the verb olla (to be) or other stative verbs.

Formation and examples. The essive is formed by adding the suffix -na or -nä to the base form of the word, with vowel harmony affecting the choice of -a/ -ä in the suffix. For example, opettaja (teacher) becomes opettajana in the singular. Other common examples include kala (fish) → kalana, työ (work) → työnä. In plural, essive forms usually end in -ina or -inä, as in opettajina (as teachers) or oppaina (as guides).

Distinction from the translative. The essive describes a temporary state or role, while the translative (-ksi) marks a change into a new state or role. For instance: Hän työskentelee opettajana (She works as a teacher). Hän tulee opettajaksi (She will become a teacher / She becomes a teacher) uses translative to indicate a change.

Usage notes. The essive is common in sentences with olla to express “in the role of” or “for the time being.” It can also appear with verbs other than olla to describe a state during a period or in a particular capacity. Some nouns and adjectives may have irregular or exceptional forms, and plural essive forms may vary in appearance depending on the stem.

Overall, essiivimuotoja provide a grammatical way to express temporary roles or states in Finnish, complementing other cases such as the translative for indicating changes.