komatiiv

Komatiiv, or comitative, is a grammatical case that marks accompaniment or association, roughly equivalent to the English “with.” It is described in some Finno-Ugric languages as a dedicated case, most prominently in Estonian. The komatiiv signals that the referent is the companion or partner in an action or situation.

In Estonian, the komatiiv is typically realized as a suffix -ga (or -ka after harmony rules) attached to the word for the accompanying entity, including pronouns. Examples include minuga (with me), sinuga (with you), temaga (with him/her), meiega (with us), teiega (with you all), and sõbraga (with a friend). The suffix can attach to nouns as well as pronouns, yielding phrases such as "sõbraga" or "kooliõpilasega" (with a schoolmate), depending on context. The form harmonizes with the surrounding phonology.

Usage and scope: the comitative indicates accompaniment in clauses like “Ma tulen temaga” (I am coming with him) or “Kas sa tuled meiega?” (Are you coming with us?). It primarily encodes social or joint activity rather than instrumental means.

Cross-linguistic notes: the term komatiiv is most central in Estonian grammar and related Finnic-language studies. In many other languages, what is functionally “with” is expressed by a preposition or postposition rather than a separate case; Finnish, for example, typically uses the postposition kanssa in similar contexts rather than a distinct comitative case.

See also: comitative case, Finnish grammar, Estonian grammar, Finnic languages.