virroiksi

Virroiksi is the translative form of the Finnish noun virta, meaning “streams” or “currents.” In Finnish grammar, the translative case (-ksi) marks transformation into something or designation as that thing. Therefore virroiksi expresses “into streams” or “as streams,” typically used when describing a change of state in plural contexts. The corresponding singular form is virraksi (into a stream).

Morphology and use in practice are tied to the concept of becoming or being labeled as something. For example, the sentence Ne muuttuvat virroiksi can be read as “They are becoming streams,” indicating a change of state or a figurative designation. In ordinary speech, the translative is less common than other cases, but it appears in descriptions of processes, transformations, or in linguistic explanations of word forms.

Origin and related forms: virroiksi is derived from virta, meaning a flow or current, with the translative suffix -ksi applied to the plural stem to yield the sense of “into streams.” The singular counterpart is virraksi, used for “into a stream.” The translative form is one of several cases Finnish uses to express state changes, transformations, or classifications.

See also: Finnish translative case, Finnish grammar, noun inflection, transformation constructions in Finnish.