ostoslistana

Ostoslistana is the essive form of the Finnish noun ostoslista, meaning “as a shopping list.” In Finnish, the essive case expresses a temporary state or role, so ostoslistana indicates that something is being used in the capacity of a shopping list or described as a shopping list in a given context.

Etymology and form: The base word ostoslista combines ostos- (purchase, shopping) with lista (list). The suffix -na marks the essive, producing ostoslistana. This form is a normal part of Finnish grammar and is typically used in descriptive or comparative sentences to assign a role or function to an entity.

Usage: Ostoslistana appears when a thing is identified by its role as a shopping list. Examples: “Tämä sovellus voidaan käyttää ostoslistana.” “Tämän muistilapun voi pitää ostoslistana.” “Kauppareissulla tämä muistilappu voi toimia ostoslistana.” In everyday language, speakers more often use the base noun with a different case to indicate function, but ostoslistana is a natural option for clarity or emphasis in written or formal Finnish.

Related forms and notes: Finnish noun phrases can take many cases. Other forms of ostoslista include ostoslistalla (on the shopping list), ostoslistaan (into the shopping list), ostoslistan (the shopping list’s or the shopping list in genitive). The essive ostoslistana is one possible way to express “as a shopping list” within a sentence.

See also: Finnish grammar, Essive case, Ostoslista.