liikkuvan

Liikkuvan is a Finnish grammatical form, not a standalone concept. It is the genitive singular form of the adjective liikkuva, which means moving or mobile. The base liikkuva comes from the verb liikkua, “to move,” and functions as a present participle-like adjective in Finnish. In Finnish, adjectives agree with the noun they modify in case, number, and definiteness, so the form changes to match the noun’s case. Therefore, the genitive singular of liikkuva is liikkuvan.

Usage and examples

Liikkuvan appears in noun phrases where the head noun is in the genitive or where the modifying adjective itself is in the genitive due to the overall structure of the phrase. Examples include:

- liikkuvan auton ääni — “the sound of the moving car” or “the moving car’s sound”

- liikkuvan miehen auto — “the car of the moving man” or “the moving man’s car”

Grammatical notes

The form is distinct from the nominative singular liukuva and the partitive singular liikkuvaa. It also contrasts with other genitive adjectives in Finnish, which take the same case ending as the noun they describe. While liikkuvan itself carries no independent meaning beyond “the moving [something]”, it functions as a normal modifier in genitive constructions.

See also

Finnish grammar, adjectives, participles, genitive case.