essiiviseen

Essiivinen, or the essive case, is a grammatical case in Finnish used to express a state of being or a role. It corresponds roughly to the English “as” or “in the capacity of.” The essive is one of the bound endings attached to a noun stem and describes how someone or something is functioning in a given moment or context.

In the singular, the essive typically ends in -na or -nä, for example opettaja becomes opettajana meaning “as a teacher.” In the plural, the ending is -ina or -inä, as in opettajat becoming opettajina, meaning “as teachers.” The exact form follows vowel harmony, so the choice of -na vs -nä and -ina vs -inä depends on the stem vowels.

The essive is used with verbs of being or acting to indicate role, occupation, or state. Example: Hän toimii opettajana (He works as a teacher). Another common construction is Hän on koulussa opettajana (He is in the school as a teacher). The essive contrasts with the translative case (-ksi), which marks becoming or change of state, as in Hän tuli opettajaksi (He became a teacher).

Notes and scope: The essive describes temporary or non-permanent states and roles rather than permanent identities. It is a core part of Finnish case grammar and interacts with other cases for nuanced meaning. See also Finnish grammar, essive case, and translative case for related functions.