partitiivimuodon

Partitiivimuoto, or partitive form, is the grammatical form used in Finnish to mark the partitive case for nouns and pronouns. It is employed to express an indefinite quantity, an incomplete action, or a non-definite object. The form is common in negative clauses and with certain verbs and expressions of quantity, where the object is not presented as a whole or finished item.

The partitive endings vary according to the noun’s stem and vowel harmony. Typical endings include -a/-ä, -ta/-tä, -ea/-eä, and -ia/-iä, and they may involve stem changes or consonant adjustments. Examples: omena (apple) becomes omenaa in partitive singular (syön omenaa). Vesi (water) becomes vettä (juon vettä). Maito (milk) becomes maitoa (juon maitoa). Kahvi (coffee) becomes kahvia (juo kahvia). Some nouns have irregular or stem-changing forms.

Partitive is also used with plural forms in certain contexts, such as Omenia on pöydällä meaning “There are some apples” or “There are apples.” After negation, the object is typically in the partitive: En syö omenaa and En juo maitoa. Quantifiers like vähän (a little) require the partitive: minulla on vähän rahaa meaning “I have a little money.” Thus, the partitiivimuoto is a central mechanism in Finnish for expressing imperfect aspect, indefinite quantity, and non-specific objects.