inessiivista

Inessiivista is the partitive form of the Finnish noun inessiivi, the name of the inner locative case. In linguistic and grammatical discussion, inessiivi (the case) is referred to using forms such as inessiivistä when speaking of the case in a general or indefinite sense. The word inessiivista is thus used mainly in scholarly or explanatory text rather than in everyday speech.

The inessiivi itself expresses location inside or within something. Its standard suffixes are -ssa or -ssä for singular and -issa or -issä for plural, depending on vowel harmony. Examples of the inessiivi in ordinary sentences include talossa (in the house), kirjoissa (in the books), and kaupungissa (in the city). For the plural, taloissa (in the houses), kirjastoissa (in libraries), and kaupungeissa (in cities) illustrate the same inside-location meaning with the appropriate plural endings.

In linguistic usage, inessiivista appears in phrases that discuss or describe the case, such as inessiivistä käyttöä meaning “the use of the inessiivi” or inessiivistä muotoa meaning “a form of the inessiivi.” Such phrases are common in grammars, dictionaries, and language-learning materials when explaining how the case is formed and applied.

Notes on scope: inessiivista is a technical term limited to discussions of Finnish morphology and syntax. It is uncommon in everyday language, where speakers use concrete forms like talossa or kaupungissa without referencing the grammatical label.