A1 Finnish GrammarPlural Nouns
Form plurals in Finnish using the plural marker -t for nominative and -i- for other cases. Finnish plural formation involves consonant gradation and stem changes. Learn the most common patterns for everyday nouns.
1Nominative Plural with -t
The nominative plural in Finnish is formed by adding -t to the noun stem. This is used when the noun is the subject of a sentence. The stem may undergo consonant gradation (weakening), so 'koira' becomes 'koirat' but 'kirkko' becomes 'kirkot'.
Nominative Plural Formation
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| talo | talot | house → houses |
| koira | koirat | dog → dogs |
| auto | autot | car → cars |
| lapsi | lapset | child → children |
Examples
Talot ovat suuria.
The houses are big.
talo + -t = talot (subject)
Koirat juoksevat puistossa.
The dogs run in the park.
koira + -t = koirat
Autot ovat kalliita.
The cars are expensive.
auto + -t = autot
Lapset leikkivät ulkona.
The children play outside.
lapsi → lapset (stem change)
2Plural Stem with -i-
For cases other than nominative, Finnish uses a plural stem formed with -i-. This -i- is inserted before the case ending. The singular stem often changes when -i- is added. For example, 'talo' (house) has plural stem 'taloi-' for cases like partitive 'taloja'.
Plural Stems
| Singular | Sing. Partitive | Plural Stem | Plural Partitive |
|---|---|---|---|
| talo | taloa | taloi- | taloja |
| kirja | kirjaa | kirjoi- | kirjoja |
| pöytä | pöytää | pöydi- | pöytiä |
| maa | maata | mai- | maita |
Examples
Näen monta taloa.
I see many houses.
taloja = plural partitive
Luen kirjoja.
I read books.
kirja → kirjoja
Pöydillä on ruokaa.
There is food on the tables.
pöytä → pöydillä (adessive plural)
Olen käynyt monissa maissa.
I have visited many countries.
maa → maissa (inessive plural)
3Common Plural Patterns
Some nouns have predictable plural patterns. Words ending in -a/-ä often change to -oi-/-öi-. Words ending in a long vowel shorten before -i-. Words ending in -i often change to -ei- in plural. Learning these patterns helps predict plurals.
Plural Pattern Examples
| Ending | Singular | Plural Stem | Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| -a | koira | koiri- | -a → -oi- |
| -ä | pää | päi- | long vowel shortens |
| -i | suomi | suome- | -i → -e- in plural |
| -o | radio | radioi- | -o → -oi- |
Examples
Koirilla on nälkä.
The dogs are hungry.
koira → koirilla (adessive)
Pese kätesi!
Wash your hands!
käsi → kädet (nominative pl.)
Puhumme suomea.
We speak Finnish.
suomi singular partitive
Radioissa soitetaan musiikkia.
Music is played on the radios.
radio → radioissa
4Irregular and Special Plurals
Some common nouns have irregular plurals that must be memorized. 'Mies' (man) becomes 'miehet', 'nainen' (woman) becomes 'naiset'. Words ending in -nen change to -set or -sia. These high-frequency words are worth memorizing individually.
Irregular Plurals
| Singular | Nominative Pl. | Partitive Pl. | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| mies | miehet | miehiä | man → men |
| nainen | naiset | naisia | woman → women |
| ihminen | ihmiset | ihmisiä | person → people |
| suomalainen | suomalaiset | suomalaisia | Finn → Finns |
Examples
Miehet työskentelevät.
The men are working.
mies → miehet
Naiset puhuvat.
The women are talking.
nainen → naiset
Ihmiset odottavat bussia.
People are waiting for the bus.
ihminen → ihmiset
Näen paljon suomalaisia.
I see many Finns.
suomalainen → suomalaisia (partitive)