ilmaista

Ilmaista is the partitive singular form of the Finnish adjective ilmainen, meaning free of charge. It is used before a noun to indicate that the item is provided without cost. For example, ilmaista kahvia means free coffee, and ilmaisia näytteitä means free samples. The form is common in promotional language and in contexts where the quantity is indefinite or the noun is in the partitive case.

In grammatical terms, ilmaista is used in attributive position directly before a noun. With plural nouns, the corresponding form is ilmaisia (for example, ilmaisia näytteitä). The term is often found in marketing, service descriptions, and everyday speech to specify that something is available without payment. By contrast, the predicative form ilmainen is used when the adjective follows a linking verb, as in kahvi on ilmainen (the coffee is free).

Ilmaista also contrasts with ilmaiseksi, which is the adverb meaning “for free” or “without charge” in expressions such as saimme koulutuksen ilmaiseksi (we received training for free). A synonym for ilmaista in many contexts is maksuton, which is another common Finnish word for “free of charge,” used in both formal and informal settings.

In usage, ilmainen and its inflected forms, including ilmaista and ilmaisia, appear across commerce, hospitality, events, and public information to communicate that goods or services are provided without cost. The term is widely understood in Finnish-speaking regions and appears in dictionaries, glossaries, and style guides as part of everyday language.