What is Partitiivi?
The partitiivi is a case in Finnish that is often used to show:
- Incomplete actions: “I am eating a cake” (but I haven’t finished it yet).
- Uncountable things: “water,” “some milk.”
- After negative sentences: “I don’t have money.”
In English, it’s similar to using some or any, like “I have some cake” or “I don’t have any money.”
How to Form the Partitiivi?
There are a few common ways to form the partitiivi, depending on the word.
1. Add -a / -ä for most words ending in a consonant (like talo = house):
- Talo (house) → Taloa (some house)
- Auto (car) → Autoa (some car)
2. Add -ta / -tä for some other words:
- Mies (man) → Miestä (some man)
- Kissa (cat) → Kissaa (some cat)
3. Add -tta / -ttä for words ending in nen (like nainen = woman):
- Nainen (woman) → Naista (some woman)
When to Use Partitiivi?
With Incomplete Actions:
- Syön kakkua = I am eating (some) cake.
- Odotan bussia = I am waiting for the bus.
(You haven’t finished eating or waiting yet.)
With Negative Sentences:
- En syö kakkua = I am not eating cake.
- Minulla ei ole rahaa = I don’t have money.
When talking about Uncountable Things or Undefined Amounts:
- Juo maitoa = Drink (some) milk.
- Ostan kahvia = I’m buying (some) coffee.
With Numbers (for multiples):
- Minulla on kaksi koiraa = I have two dogs. (Notice that koira becomes koiraa after the number.)
Singular vs. Plural:
- Singular:
- Koira (dog) → Koiraa (some dog)
- Plural:
- Koirat (dogs) → Koiria (some dogs)
Quick Examples:
- Juon vettä = I drink (some) water.
- Haluan omenaa = I want (some) apple.
- Ei ole rahaa = There is no money.
Quick Exercise:
Try to form the partitiivi of these words:
- Talo (house) → ?
- Kakku (cake) → ?
- Kissa (cat) → ?
Answers:
- Taloa = Some house
- Kakkua = Some cake
- Kissaa = Some cat
Key Points:
- -a / -ä for most singular words.
- Use partitiivi for unfinished actions, negatives, uncountable things, and numbers.
- It often translates to “some” or “any” in English.
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