nominatiiviyksikkö

Nominatiiviyksikkö, often translated as nominative singular, refers to the basic form of a noun or pronoun in a language that declines for case and number. It is the form used when the noun or pronoun is the subject of a sentence or when it acts as a predicate nominative. In many languages, the nominative singular is the dictionary form of a word. For example, in Finnish, the word "talo" meaning "house" is in the nominative singular. When it functions as the subject of a sentence, such as "Talo on suuri" (The house is big), it remains in its nominative singular form.

The nominative case is distinct from other cases, such as the genitive, accusative, or dative, which indicate different grammatical functions within a sentence. The singular number signifies that the noun or pronoun refers to a single entity. Therefore, nominatiiviyksikkö specifically identifies a single item in its subject or predicate nominative role. Languages that have a rich case system, like Finnish, Latin, or German, clearly distinguish between the nominative singular and other case-number combinations. In languages without extensive case marking, the function is often conveyed through word order or prepositions, and the concept of a distinct nominative singular may be less pronounced or absent.