koiraa

Koiraa is the partitive singular form of the Finnish noun koira, meaning dog. The base word koira is a native Finnish noun, and its exact historical etymology is not clearly established. In Finnish grammar, koiraa functions as the object form used after verbs to indicate an indefinite or partially involved object, and it is also used in negative clauses.

In the Finnish case system, the partitive singular koiraa contrasts with the nominative koira and the plural partitive koiria. The form koiraa signals either an incomplete action or an indefinite quantity, while koiria marks multiple dogs in a partitive sense. The partitive is widely used with imperfective verbs and with negations, as Finnish does not require an article and uses different object cases to convey subtle meanings.

Common uses of koiraa include statements about a dog as an indefinite object, such as in sentences with verbs of perception, action, or possession, especially in imperfective aspects or negative sentences. For example, "Olen nähnyt koiraa" translates to "I have seen a dog," and "En näe koiraa" translates to "I do not see a dog." Another example is "Näimme koiria puistossa," meaning "We saw dogs in the park." The plural form koiria is used for multiple dogs in similar contexts.

Related forms of the noun include koira (nominative singular), koiran (genitive singular), koirat (nominative plural), and koirien (genitive plural). The koiraa form is a key part of Finnish noun inflection and demonstrates how the language encodes indefiniteness and aspect through case endings. See also the Finnish noun koira for broader context.