genitiivplurali

Genitiivplurali, or genitive plural, is the plural form of the genitive case in Finnish grammar. It marks possession or close association for plural nouns and is used to express relationships such as “the dogs’ owners” or “the books’ covers.” In Finnish, possession is often shown by placing the possessor in the genitive plural while the possessed noun stays in its base form or another case.

Formation of the genitive plural varies by word. There is no single universal ending; several common patterns occur depending on the noun’s stem and phonology. The most frequent endings in modern Finnish are -ien and -ojen, but other forms exist as well. The choice of ending often reflects vowel harmony and historical sound changes. For example, native Finnish words often form the genitive plural with -ien, while some words with certain stems take -ojen. A few words have distinct patterns or irregularities.

Common examples include:

- kirja (book) → kirjojen (books’)

- koira (dog) → koirien (dogs’)

- kissa (cat) → kissojen (cats’)

- talo (house) → talojen (houses’)

- nainen (woman) → naisten (women’s)

Usage notes:

- The genitive plural is frequently used in noun-noun possessive constructions, such as koirien omistajat (the dogs’ owners).

- It participates in Finnish’s broader case system and interacts with phonological rules, which is why forms can vary by word class and origin.

- Some words exhibit irregular or less common genitive plural forms, so consulting a dictionary can help with tricky nouns.