substanttiivin

Substantiivi is the Finnish word class that names people, places, things, or ideas. Substantiivin is the genitive singular form of substantiivi, and it is commonly used in grammar descriptions to indicate possession or close association with the noun it refers to.

In Finnish, nouns decline for number (singular or plural) and for many cases. The genitive singular suffix is typically -n, which attaches to the noun stem. The form substantiivin is therefore the standard genitive singular of the noun substantiivi. Other nouns follow different patterns, for example talo becomes talon (the house’s), oppilas becomes oppilaan (the student’s).

Use of the genitive in noun phrases is broad. It can express possession, material, or a close relationship between nouns, and it is also used in some fixed expressions and in the label of grammatical features. For instance, phrases like substantiivin taivutus (the inflection of a noun) or substantiivin merkitys (the meaning of the noun) illustrate how the genitive marks a dependent relationship within a noun phrase.

Notes on terminology: substantiivi is often distinguished from other word classes such as adjectives and verbs in Finnish grammar. The term substantiivin refers specifically to the genitive form of that class-noun, and it is most commonly encountered in linguistic descriptions, textbooks, and grammar discussions rather than in everyday prose.

See also: substantiivi (noun), genitive case, Finnish grammar, noun inflection.