Effects of possessive suffixes on word stem

When a possessive suffix is appended to the dictionary form (nominative singular), the stem used is the same as in the genitive. For example, the suffixed forms of olut (beer, ale), genitive oluen, are olueni, oluesi etc.

Otherwise, a possessive suffix is appended to a case form, after the case suffix, e.g. talo|ssa|ni.

If a possessive suffix is appended to a word form that ends with a consonant (t or n) as part of a suffix, the consonant is omitted. For example, adding the suffix si to the illative form taloon yields taloosi.

Thus, possessive suffixes remove the distinction between nominative singular, genitive singular, and nominative plural. For example, when the suffix ni is added to the forms talo, talon, and talot, the result is taloni for all of them.

At the syllable boundary before a possessive suffix, the strong grade is always used, deviating from normal principles of consonant gradation. For example, the genitive koti (home) is kodin by normal gradation rules, but the suffixed versions have t, not d: kotini, kotisi, kotinsa etc. On the other hand, we say kodissani, since it has a syllable (sa) between the potentially gradating t ∼ d and the possessive suffix.

The translative suffix ksi changes to kse before a possessive suffix.

The following table illustrates the effects of the possessive suffix on the stem, using the sample word jalka (leg; foot) and the suffix ni. The plural forms are shown under the singular forms. The dash “–” means that the form is not used.