muistostaan

Muistostaan is a Finnish noun phrase formed from muisto (memory) with the elative case suffix -sta and the third-person possessive suffix -nsä, yielding muistostaan. It roughly translates to “from his/her memory” or “of his/her memory” and is used to refer to something that originates in or relates to the subject’s memory. The form is common in both written and spoken Finnish and often appears in narrative and reported speech.

Formation and function: The base muisto is modified by adding the elative suffix -sta to indicate source or origin and the possessive suffix -nsa to mark ownership by the subject. The resulting phrase muistostaan signals that what is being described is remembered by the person in question or is based on that person’s memory. In practice it can mean “in terms of his/her memory,” “as remembered by him/her,” or “from his/her memory.”

Usage notes: Muistostaan is typically used with verbs of telling, recalling, or recalling memories, such as kertoa muistostaan (to tell about one’s memory) or muistella muistostaan (to reminisce about one’s memory). It can convey subjectivity, indicating that the information reflects personal memory rather than external records.

Examples:

- Hän kertoi muistostaan lapsuudestaan. (He spoke of his memory of his childhood.)

- Se on jäänyt hänen muistostaan. (That has stayed in his memory.)

See also: muisto, muistaa, muistelu.