suomalaiselta

Suomalaiselta is the elative singular form of the Finnish noun suomalainen, which means a Finn or a person from Finland. In Finnish grammar, the elative case expresses origin or source and is formed with the suffix -lta or -ltä. Therefore, suomalainen becomes suomalaiselta in the elative singular. This form is used when something originates from or is attributed to a Finn, such as in quotations, reports, or descriptions of information provided by a Finn. It is not a separate dictionary entry in most cases; rather, it is a grammatical inflection of the noun suomalainen.

Related forms of suomalainen include nominative suomalainen, genitive suomalaisen, partitive suomalaista, allative suomalaiselle, and inessive suomalaisessa, with each form serving different syntactic functions in sentences. The elative suomalaiselta is commonly seen in contexts that specify the source of information, opinion, or action as coming from a Finn.

Examples:

- Kysyin suomalaiselta, mitä hän ajattelee tästä asiasta.

- Tiedot on saatu suomalaiselta asiantuntijalta.

The word illustrates how Finnish uses a single noun stem with case-specific suffixes to convey nuanced meaning related to origin and attribution. See also the base noun suomalainen and related concepts such as suomalaisuus, which denotes Finnishness or nationality.