Genitive

Form of the genitive in singular

In singular, the genitive always has the n suffix. The genitive often differs from the nominative in other ways, but this is caused by stem variation, which is not limited to the genitive, e.g. valas : valaa|n (and valaa|ksi, valaa|na etc.), poika : poja|n (and poja|lle etc.). Stem variation is described in sections starting from Variation in word stem and in suffixes.

The genitive singular as type form

The genitive singular is often mentioned to indicate the inflection stem of a word, for example vapaus : vapauden (freedom). For most words, all other case forms can be constructed when we know the nominative and the genitive singular, and it is easy to remove the suffix from the genitive singular, since it is always n. However, showing just the stem, e.g. vapaus : vapaude-, might be regarded as more logical.

Form of the genitive in plural

In plural, the genitive has several possible suffixes that are appended to different stems, partly depending on the word, partly in free variation, as in omena : omenien ∼ omenoiden ∼ omenoitten ∼ omenain (apple).

The possible genitive plural suffixes, including the plural suffix i or j when present, are shown in the following table.

Typically one of the suffixes is clearly more common than the others, such as omenoiden in our example case. Some other form, such as omenien, might be classified as a normal alternative, which can be selected by a speaker e.g. to suit the phonetic context better.

The suffixes den and tten are in free variation, but den tends to be much more common, especially in writing. The tten variant appears typically in conjunction with a possessive suffix. For example, for the word paperi, the most common genitive plural is papereiden, whereas papereitten is much less common. The form papereidensa, with the possessive suffix nsa, is also more common than papereittensa, but with a much smaller margin.

The formation of the genitive plural varies by word type, by word, and by language form. Largely it needs to be learned from dictionaries or by the natural method. Good dictionaries contain information for creating the possible forms, but not details of their distribution—for many words, some forms are very rare, though possible. The following points describe most of the variation:

1. The suffix den or tten (interchangeably), appended to the plural inflection stem, can be used when
2. the inflection stem in the singular ends with two vowels, e.g. maa : maa|n : ma|i|den, tie : tie|n : te|i|den, upea : upea|n : upe|i|den, vene^x : venee|n : vene|i|den
3. the plural stem ends with ei or Oi and the stem has at least three syllables, e.g. paperi : papere|i|ssa : papere|i|den, kartano : kartano|i|ssa : kartano|i|den, makkara : makkaro|i|ssa : makkaro|i|den; such words often have alternative forms of types 3 or 4 described below, e.g. paperi|en, kartano|j|en
4. The suffix en, appended to the plural inflection stem, can be used when that stem has i as the only vowel in its last syllable, e.g. muna : mun|i|ssa : mun|i|en.
5. The suffix en can be appended to the singular form, when the word stem ends with i that does not vary in the singular, e.g. lasi : lasi|n : lasi|en. Such words have otherwise ei in their plural inflection, e.g. lase|i|ssa. It is a matter of definition whether the i in genitive plural is the stem vowel (so that there is no plural suffix) or a plural suffix (so that the final i of the stem is lost).
6. The suffix en, appearing after j as the plural suffix, can be appended to the consonant stem when
7. the plural inflection stem ends with Oi or Ui, e.g. sana : sano|i|ssa : sano|j|en, loru : loru|i|ssa : loru|j|en
8. the word ends with e both in nominative singular and in singular inflection stem, e.g. nalle : nalle|n : nalle|j|en; however, the genitive plural forms of such words sound somewhat odd and are generally avoided
9. The suffix ten can be appended to the consonant stem, without any plural suffix, for words that have a consonant stem, e.g. nainen : naise|n : nais|ta : nais|ten. This can be expressed so that if the partitive singular ends with a consonant and tA, you can from a genitive plural from it by changing the A to en, e.g. (avain :) avainta : avainten, (sisar :) sisarta : sisarten.
10. The suffix in can be appended to the singular stem, without any additional plural suffix, when the singular stem ends with A, e.g. ranta : ranta|in, and when the nominative singular ends with i and the plural stem has ei, e.g. vanki : vange|i|lla : vanke|in. It can also be used, but it is very rare, for words that end with e both in nominative singular and in singular inflection stem, e.g. nalle : nalle|n : nalle|in. (Arguably, the in suffix might be described as consisting of plural suffix i and case suffix n.) All these forms are generally outdated in normal use, and alternative forms rantojen, vankien, nallejen are much more common. However, they appear as the first part of a compound in many words. For example, the normal plural genitive of kansa (folk, nation, people) is kansojen, but in compounds, the variant kansain is used, e.g. kansainvälinen (international). The old-fashioned forms also appear in some phrases, such as kautta rantain (indirectly; literally: through shores). For the name Yhdysvallat (United States), the form Yhdysvaltain is common and stylistically normal and varies with Yhdysvaltojen.

Even native speakers are often perplexed with the multitude of forms of the genitive plural, and they may ask which form is the correct one. Normatively, many words have several alternative forms that are correct. In practice, however, it is usually safest to use the most common form. For example, the normal genitive plural of omena is omenoiden, and omenien comes next and could be used if it looks or sounds better (e.g., kauniiden omenien might sound better than kauniiden omenoiden, where the repeating iden might be disturbing). But the forms omenoitten, omenojen, and omenain, though formally correct, are best avoided, except in poetry.

Using -ten vs. other suffixes

Words that have a consonant stem can alternatively taker either a ten suffix or an ien suffix, with the latter appended to the vowel stem but with its last vowel removed. For example, lapsi : lapse|n : las|ta has the genitive plural forms las|ten and laps|ien. Other examples: nainen : naisten ∼ naisien, avain : avainten ∼ avaimien, sisar : sisarten ∼ sisarien.

For most words with a consonant stem, the ten form is much more common. In particular, for words ending with nen in the nominative, the ien form, such as naisien, is very rare.

However, for words ending with -in and denoting a device, the ien form is more common, e.g. for tulostin : tulostime|n (printer), tulostim|i|en is more common than tulostin|ten.

For superlative forms like suurin : suurimman, the ien suffix is used, e.g. suurimpien. The ten suffix is used, as an alternative, only for some superlatives that have a locational meaning (concretely or figuratively), e.g. ylin : ylimpien ∼ ylinten.

Some two-syllable words have a consonant stem but take only an ien suffix, not a ten suffix. They include lohi : loh|ta : lohien, kansi : kant|ta : kansien, moni : mon|ta : monien, tuli : tul|ta : tulien, uusi : uut|ta : uusien, vuosi : vuot|ta : vuosien (very rarely vuotten).

Words ending with As : AAn, such as asukas : asukkaan, usually have only iden and itten forms, such as asukkaiden ∼ asukkaitten, even though they have a consonant stem, too, as in the partitive asukas|ta. However, for some words of this type, a ten form is used in sayings and in archaic style, e.g. käsi : kät|tä : käsi ∼ kätten, with the latter form appearing in phrases like kätten jälki and kätten päällepaneminen. Similarly, we have lammas : lampaa|n : lampaiden ∼ lammasten, but the latter is limited to a few contexts like susi lammasten vaatteissa (wolf in sheep’s clothing).

Words ending with e^x, such as aine : aineen, can be interpreted as having a consonant stem, as in the partitive ainet|ta. However, a ten form such as ainetten is not used for them in modern standard Finnish. Instead, they have iden or (less often) itten in the genitive plural: aineiden ∼ aineitten.

A few words lack a consonant stem in the normal sense but can be said to have it for the purposes of forming the genitive plural: enkeli : enkelien ∼ enkelten (angel), jumala : jumalien ∼ jumalten (god), sankari : sankarien ∼ sankarten. The ten forms are more or less poetic.

Using -iden vs. -ien or -jen in long words

In words with three or more syllables, there are relatively complicated rules for choosing between the -iden and -ien or -jen suffixes. In some words, both are possible, e.g. paperi : papere|iden ∼ paper|ien. In many words, only one of them is correct, e.g. lukija : lukijo|iden but opettaja : opettaj|ien.

The iden suffix (and its variant itten) is possible, and maybe the only possible, for the word types listed below. For other words with three or more syllables, either ien or jen is used, depending on conditions described above. “Ending” refers to the ending of the word in the base form, nominative singular.

• Words ending with CijA (where C denotes a consonant), e.g. opiskelija : opiskelijoiden (but e.g. opettaja : opettajien).
• Words ending with VCjA (where V denotes a vowel), e.g. vikunja : vikunjoiden.
• Words ending with eijA or AijA, e.g. armeija : armeijoiden, piraija : piraijoiden.
• Words ending with two vowels, e.g. idea : ideoiden, valtio : valtioiden.
• Words ending with lU, e.g. kokeilu : kokeiluiden. However, the jen suffix is more common, e.g. kokeilujen, except when the ending is CVlU, for which iden and jen are roughly equally common, e.g. palvelu : palvelujen ∼ palveluiden.
• Words ending with li, mi, ni, ri, e.g. titteli : titteleiden, systeemi : systeemeiden, titaani : titaaneiden, paperi : papereiden. However, the ien suffix is also possible and common, and when the ending is preceded by two vowels, ien is considerably more common than iden, e.g. kriteeri : kriteerien ∼ kriteereiden. There is variation across words; e.g. for hormoni, the only form is hormonien.
• Words ending with lA, nA, rA, e.g. sairaala : sairaaloiden, ikkuna : ikkunoiden, makkara : makkaroiden. For some words of these types, the jen suffix is also possible, e.g. sairaalojen, but usually rather rare. However, for the words jumala (god), miljoona (million), and persoona (personality, person), neither the iden suffix nor the jen suffix used, i.e. the forms are jumalien, miljoonien, persoonien.
• Words ending with kA or gA, but the jen suffix is roughly as common, e.g. katiska : katiskojen ∼ katiskojen, kollega : kollegoiden ∼ kollegojen. For words ending with kkA, the iden is suffix is usually much more common if the word has three syllables, e.g. klinikka : klinikoiden ∼ klinikkojen, whereas in longer words, only jen is used, e.g. tematiikka : tematiikkojen.
• A few other other words ending with A, having both iden and jen as suffixes: navetta : navetoiden ∼ navettojen (and its rare synonym ometta), savotta : savotoiden ∼ savottojen, pohatta : pohattojen ∼ pohatoiden, ulappa : ulapoiden ∼ ulappojen.
• Words ending with O, e.g. numero : numeroiden, henkilö : henkilöiden. The jen suffix is also possible, e.g. numerojen and henkilöjen, but very rarely used. However, there are some exceptions. For words ending with stO, the jen suffix is common, often much more common, e.g. kirjasto : kirjastojen ∼ kirjastoiden. The same applies to words ending with kkO, especially when they are longer than three syllables, e.g. allergikko : allergikkojen ∼ allergikoiden. Words ending with ttO have only the jen suffix, e.g. sulatto : sulattojen.

An overview of the meanings of the genitive

The genitive often indicates relations similar to those expressed using the “of” preposition in English, or sometimes with the “’s possessive”. Thus, an expression of the form A:n B often corresponds to “a/the B of A” or sometimes “A’s B” in English. However, the Finnish genitive has much wider use. Among other things, It is also often used when English has “at”, “in”, “for”, or some other preposition.

The genitive has a high frequency of use largely due to its several meanings. This reflects its origin as a fusion of two or three cases that had different meanings. The meanings of the genitive can be grouped as follows:

• Possessive genitive, used mainly in attributes, e.g. Paavon talo (Paavo’s house), secondarily also in genitive predicatives, e.g. Tämä talo in Paavon (This house is Paavo’s).
• Genitive as the case of a grammatical object, e.g. Näin Paavon (I saw Paavo), or an object-like quantifier, e.g. Asuin siellä vuoden (I lived there a year). Together with the next item, this can be called objective genitive.
• Genitive as an attribute indicating the object of an action, expressed by a noun that is typically a derivation of a verb, e.g. Paavon erottaminen (firing of Paavo).
• Genitive indicating the agent in many modal expressions, as in Paavon pitää mennä (Paavo has to go). Together with the next item, this can be called subjective genitive.
• Genitive indicating the agent in a clause equivalent, e.g. Tämä talo on Paavon rakentama (This house was built by Paavo).
• Genitive used in the first part of a closed compound. By its meaning, it can be possessive, objective, or subjective.
• Genitive used with most postpositions and prepositions, e.g. Paavon jälkeen (after Paavo).
• Genitive of an adjective as an attribute of another adjective or of an adverb, e.g. poikkeuksellisen kylmä (exceptionally cold).

The following subsection describes the use of genitive attributes of nouns. Other meanings and uses of the genitive are described in other parts of this book, linked to in the above list.

Meanings of genitive attributes

The meaning of the genitive attribute can be described abstractly so that A:n B, where n is the genitive suffix, means a/the B associated with an/the A. Instead of “associated with” we might also say “relating to…”. This includes relations like “possessed by” and “part of”, but also many other relations.

In the following examples, the first word is an attribute in the genitive:

• Maijan isä (Maija’s father)
• talon katto (the roof of the house)
• kirjan sisältö (the content of the book)
• hallituksen toimenpiteet (the actions of the govenment)
• Waterloon taistelu (the battle of Waterloo)
• Oulun yliopiston professori (a professor at the University of Oulu); here the genitive attribute yliopiston has a genitive attribute, Oulun
• Nobelin palkinto (a/the Nobel prize)
• Maastrichtin sopimus (the Maastricht Treaty)
• Afrikan maat (the African countries)
• Brittein saaret (the British Isles; literally “islands of Brits”)
• fysiikan laboratorio (physical laboratory; literally “laboratory of physics”)
• Venäjän–Japanin sota (the Russo-Japanese war)

Finnish often uses the genitive when English and other languages use an adjective derivation or just two nouns in basic form. For example, “Swedish prime minister” is Ruotsin pääministeri, where Ruotsin is the genitive of Ruotsi (Sweden), “two-family house” is kahden perheen talo, and “rapid reaction force” is nopean toiminnan joukot.

The genitive is also often used for a general noun used in conjunction with a proper nown, such as Espoon kaupunki (city of Espoo) and suomen kieli (the Finnish language). These really mean “the city called Espoo” and “the language called suomi”, and the genitive is just part of a syntactic structure, without having any special meaning. Thus, although the genitive is here syntactically an attribute of a general noun, the word in genitive is logically the main word and the general noun just indicates its class.

Ambiguous genitive attributes

When a noun is derived from a transitive verb (i.e. a verb that may have an object), a genitive attribute may mean an object of the action, but it may also have one of the other meanings of the genitive. For example, an expression of the form A:n ryöstö could refer to a robbery, ryöstö, where the object A was stolen, or to a robbery made by the person A, or to a robbery that took place in the shop A, or to a robbery made in the city A.

This sounds very confusing, but mostly the meaning of the word used in genitive restricts the alternatives. The expression as a whole, together with the context, normally makes only on interpretation possible. Yet, newspaper headings can be really ambiguous due to such issues, perhaps intentionally—to make people read more. For example, poliisin uhkailu may mean “threats against the police” or “threats made by the police”.

A genitive attribute like tiukan linjan may mean “of strict policy”, so that tiukan linjan poliitikko is a politician who favors a strict policy in some issue. However, when associated with a noun derived from verb, the attribute may be ambiguos: tiukan linjan vastustajat may refer to opponents that have a strict policy or, very differently, to people who oppose a strict policy.

In some expressions, ambiguities are avoided by using an open compound versus a closed (and hyphenated) compound. For example, Suomen suurlähettiläs means a Finnish ambassador, whereas Suomen-suurlähettiläs means an ambassador of another country in Finland, Britannian Suomen-suurlähettiläs is a British ambassador in Finland. Somewhat similarly, Venäjän poliikka means the politics in Russia or the policies of Russia, whereas Venäjän-politiikka means politics or policies in dealing with Russia.

There are situations where people avoid a genitive attribute even when no real ambiguity exists. Finnish grammars often describe the genitive as primarily indicating possession or even ownership. This has made people avoid the genitive when they feel that it would incorrectly suggest ownership. This explains expressions like the compound Mannerheim-risti (the Mannerheim cross) instead of Mannerheimin risti; cf. Yrjönristi (St. George’s cross), Viktorian risti (Victoria cross).