instrumentaalin

Instrumentaali is a grammatical category used in many languages to mark the instrument or means by which an action is performed. In Finnish, there is no separate instrumental case in the modern standard language. The instrumental meaning is normally expressed with the adessive case suffix -lla/-llä or through periphrastic constructions, and the choice depends on context and emphasis. The term is primarily used in linguistic descriptions to compare Finnish with languages that have a dedicated instrumental case.

In Finnish, common ways to express instrumentality include the adessive forms kynällä (with a pen) and veitsellä (with a knife). These forms indicate the tool used to perform an action, but they can also carry locational or other nuances, so context matters. Another productive method is using the verbal adverbial participle Käyttämällä (by using) followed by the instrument in the appropriate noun form, as in Käyttämällä kynää kirjoitan (I write by using a pen). The phrase tämän avulla (with the help of this) is also used to signal instrumental meaning in a more explicit, analytic way.

Across languages, an instrumental case is a morphologically marked category. In Finnish, the same function is achieved mainly through the adessive construction or through periphrastic expressions rather than a distinct case. Some grammars note historical or regional varieties where older instrumental markings appeared, but these are not productive in contemporary Finnish. See also instrumental case, Finnish grammar, adessive case.