vakaviksi

Vakaviksi is the translative plural form of the Finnish adjective vakava, meaning serious. The translative case expresses a change of state or a new role or classification, and it is used with predicates that describe becoming or being regarded as something. When the subject is plural, the adjective takes the form vakaviksi.

In practice, vakaviksi appears with predicates built from verbs such as tulla, muuttua, or osoittautua, and it signals that multiple subjects are changing into a more serious state or being considered as serious. The singular corresponding form is vakavaksi (used with a singular subject), for example with tulevat vakavaksi when the subject is plural.

Examples:

- Nuoret tulivat vakaviksi. (The youths became serious.)

- Nämä miehet muuttuivat vakaviksi. (These men became serious.)

- Heidät luokiteltiin vakaviksi ihmisiksi. (They were classified as serious people.)

Usage notes:

- Vakaviksi is most common in predicative constructions and formal or written Finnish, where a change of state or a classification is being described for a plural subject.

- The form demonstrates how Finnish uses the translative case to express transitions, in contrast to the descriptive adjective form vakava, which simply means “serious” without indicating a change.