sellaiseksi

Sellaiseksi is a Finnish word, the translative form of the demonstrative adjective sellainen, meaning “such” or “that kind.” The translative case marks a change of state or condition, and sellaiseksi is used when describing becoming or turning into that state.

Usage typically occurs with verbs of becoming, such as tulla (to become), muuttua (to change into), or käydä, and it can also appear in predicates with a noun in the translative: for example, “tulla sellaiseksi ihmiseksi” means “to become such a person.” The corresponding plural form is sellaisiksi, used when referring to “into such [people].” Sellaiseksi can also introduce comparisons with kuin, as in “sellaiseksi kuin …,” meaning “such as / like ….”

Examples include: “Hän haluaa tulla sellaiseksi kuin äitinsä” (He/She wants to become like his/her mother), “Hän on tullut sellaiseksi ihmiseksi” (He/She has become such a person), and “Ne haluavat tulla sellaisiksi ihmisiksi” (They want to become such people). A shortened or elliptical use is evident in “Sellaiseksi se meni,” meaning “It turned out that way.”

Distinctions: sellaiseksi conveys a sense of entering or achieving a particular state, differentiating it from sellainen, which functions as a determiner meaning “such.” Other inflected forms exist for different cases and numbers (e.g., sellaisiksi in the plural), reflecting Finnish’s rich case system.