pääteeseen

Pääteeseen is the illative case form of the Finnish noun pääte. In Finnish, pääte has several related meanings: in linguistics it denotes a suffix or ending that attaches to a word to change its grammatical function, and in general usage it can mean a terminal, end point, or terminus (for example in phrases like pääteasema, meaning a terminus station). The form pääteeseen thus appears in linguistic discussion as an example of how Finnish expresses movement toward or into a suffix or end element.

In practice, pääte is primarily used in discussions of morphology and word formation. The illative form pääteeseen is not common in everyday conversation, but it is encountered in grammars, linguistic analyses, and educational materials when illustrating case endings and how nouns inflect for direction or movement toward a referent.

Examples of its use are typically academic or explanatory. A typical statement might note that the noun pääte taivuu illatiiviksi pääteeseen, illustrating the pattern of adding the illative ending to a word ending. A broader sense of the term can be understood by contrasting the illative with other Finnish cases, such as the nominative or genitive, to show how meaning and grammatical function shift with inflection.

See also: Finnish grammar, illative case, suffix (päätteet), terminus.