kieltä

Kieltä is the partitive singular form of the Finnish noun kieli, meaning language or tongue. In Finnish grammar, the partitive case is used for indefinite quantities, with certain verbs that take a partitive object, and in some fixed expressions. The form kieltä therefore appears mainly in contexts referring to a language as an object of a verb or a description that treats the language as an indefinite amount or aspect.

Usage and meaning

Kieltä is commonly encountered in phrases describing language learning, usage, or reference to a language in a general sense. For example, oppia suomen kieltä means “to learn Finnish (as a language).” Another example is puhua englantia, where the language name is inflected differently, but you can also see constructions like puhua norjan kieltä in formal or written Finnish. The term can also appear in discussions about grammar, linguistics, or style when the language itself is the focus.

Relation to other forms

Kielen is the genitive form used to indicate possession (the language’s something), and kielet is the plural form meaning “languages.” The form kieltä should not be confused with the verb kieltää (to prohibit) or its forms, which are etymologically related but grammatically distinct.

In summary, kieltä is a key inflected form for discussing languages as objects of verbs under Finnish partitive usage, especially in educational or descriptive contexts.