mallapäätteisen

Mallapäätteisen is a Finnish grammatical term referring to a noun in the genitive case that is also an adjective. This occurs when a noun is used to modify another noun, expressing possession or a characteristic. For example, in the phrase "koiran talo" (the dog's house), "koiran" is the genitive form of "koira" (dog) and functions adjectivally to describe whose house it is. Similarly, in "auton väri" (the car's color), "auton" is the genitive of "auto" (car) and acts as an adjective.

The mallapäätteisen construction is common in Finnish and helps to convey relationships between nouns without requiring prepositions. It is distinct from a regular adjectival phrase where a true adjective would be used, such as "punainen talo" (red house). In the mallapäätteisen case, the noun in the genitive case takes on a descriptive role. Understanding this grammatical feature is important for comprehending the nuances of Finnish sentence structure and noun-noun relationships. It highlights the case system's flexibility in Finnish and how nouns can perform multiple grammatical functions depending on context.