intransitiivisessa

Intransitiivisessa is a Finnish grammatical term formed as the inessive case of the adjective intransitiivinen, meaning intransitive. The word is used to describe verbs, uses, or forms that do not take a direct object. In Finnish linguistics, transitivity (transitiivinen) and intransitivity (intransitiivinen) refer to how the verb relates to its potential object and to the roles of participants in the event described.

The concept is primarily descriptive rather than a separate mood or tense. Verbs in Finnish can be categorized as transitive, intransitive, or ambitransitive (capable of both). The phrase intransitiivisessa käytössä, for example, means “in intransitive use,” indicating that the verb is being discussed or applied without a direct object. The form inessive like intransitiivisessa is commonly found in explanations, dictionaries, grammar examples, and language-learning texts.

Examples help illustrate the idea. A sentence such as Lintu nukkuu koko yön (The bird sleeps all night) uses a verb that typically does not require a direct object, illustrating intransitivity. By contrast, laulaa laulun (to sing a song) is transitive, since it can take a direct object. When discussing verbs that can function both ways, grammars may specify the contexts in which a verb is used intransitively and when it is used transitively, sometimes using phrases like intransitiivisessa käytössä to denote the non-object usage.

Etymology traces the term to the-root Finnish word intransitiivinen (not transitive), with -ssa marking the inessive case. The concept aligns with broader linguistic discussions of valency and argument structure across languages. See also transitiivinen, ambitransitiivinen, and valenssi (valency).