illatiiviilmamuoto

Illatiiviilmamuoto is a term used in Finnish grammar to refer to the illative form of a noun or word, i.e., the form that marks movement into or toward something. The illatiivi corresponds to the English “into” or “to” in phrases indicating direction. In standard Finnish, the illative is one of the locative cases and answers the question minne? where to?

Morphology and formation are characteristic of Finnish inflection: the illatiiviilmamuoto is created by attaching a case suffix to the noun stem, with variations depending on stem type and vowel harmony. Endings are not uniform across all words; the form changes to fit the phonological structure of the stem. Some common examples illustrate the idea: talo becomes taloon (into the house); kirja becomes kirjaan (into the book); vesi becomes veteen (into the water). These forms show how the illativus expresses destination or movement toward the interior of something.

Usage and function: the illatiiviilmamuoto is used when describing reaching or entering a place, object, or space, typically with the verb menen/mä menen (I go to/into). It is distinct from other locative cases such as the inessive (in) and elative (out of), which express static location or movement from a place rather than toward it. The illative often appears with verbs of movement and with location nouns, adjectives, and certain pronouns.

Terminology and variation: in everyday language, Finnish speakers may simply speak of the illative form rather than using the compound term illatiiviilmamuoto. Some dialects or older grammars may show alternative illative endings, but the standard description relies on the illative suffix system and vowel harmony rules.

See also: illatiivi, inessive, elative, Finnish grammar.