nominatiivisessa

Nominatiivisessa is a Finnish grammatical term that refers to the inessive singular form of the adjective nominatiivinen, meaning “in the nominative.” It is used to describe something located in or related to the nominative case. In Finnish, adjectives decline to agree with the nouns they modify in number and case, and nominatiivisessa is one of the inflected forms. The corresponding plural inessive form is nominatiivisissa.

Use and function: The form nominatiivisessa appears primarily in linguistic descriptions, grammars, and dictionaries, where precise case-based descriptions are needed. In everyday speech, speakers more often use phrases like nominatiivin muoto or nominatiivisessa muodossa, depending on the construction, rather than focusing on the adjective’s exact inflection in isolation. The concept is part of the broader Finnish system of cases and adjectival declension.

Formation and examples: Adjectives in Finnish decline to match the noun’s case and number. For nominatiivinen, the inessive singular is nominatiivisessa, and the inessive plural is nominatiivisissa. Examples:

- Sana “talo” on nominatiivisessa muodossa. (The word “talo” is in the nominative form.)

- Monikon nominatiivinen muoto on “talot” (the plural nominative form is “talot”), illustrating how the base adjective interacts with number, though the noun form here is shown for contrast rather than a direct sentence.

See also: nominatiivinen, Finnish grammar, grammatical cases, inessive.