A2 Finnish GrammarAdjectives & Case Agreement
Master Finnish adjective inflection where adjectives must agree with nouns in number and case.
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1Adjective Agreement
Finnish adjectives agree with the noun in number and case. Both change together.
Agreement Examples
| Case | Adjective + Noun | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | iso talo | big house |
| Genitive | ison talon | big house's |
| Partitive | isoa taloa | big house (part) |
| Inessive | isossa talossa | in the big house |
Examples
Iso koira juoksee.
The big dog runs.
nominative singular
Näen ison koiran.
I see the big dog.
genitive/accusative
Juon kuumaa kahvia.
I drink hot coffee.
partitive
Asun isossa talossa.
I live in a big house.
inessive
2Plural Adjectives
In plural, both adjective and noun take plural markers.
Plural Forms
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| iso talo | isot talot | big houses |
| pieni lapsi | pienet lapset | small children |
| kaunis kukka | kauniit kukat | beautiful flowers |
Examples
Isot talot ovat kalliita.
Big houses are expensive.
nominative plural
Pienet lapset leikkivät.
Small children play.
plural nominative
Näen kauniita kukkia.
I see beautiful flowers.
partitive plural
Isoissa taloissa on paljon tilaa.
In big houses there is a lot of space.
inessive plural
3Predicative Adjectives
After 'olla' (to be), adjectives can be nominative or partitive depending on the subject.
Predicative Forms
| Subject | Adjective | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Definite sing. | nominative | Talo on iso |
| Definite pl. | nominative pl. | Talot ovat isot |
| Indefinite/mass | partitive | Kahvi on kuumaa |
Examples
Ruoka on hyvää.
The food is good.
partitive for mass noun
Auto on punainen.
The car is red.
nominative for definite
Lapset ovat väsyneet.
The children are tired.
nominative plural
Vesi on kylmää.
The water is cold.
partitive for mass noun
4Common Adjectives
Essential Finnish adjectives for everyday use.
Key Adjectives
| Finnish | English | Partitive |
|---|---|---|
| hyvä | good | hyvää |
| paha | bad | pahaa |
| iso/suuri | big | isoa/suurta |
| pieni | small | pientä |
| uusi | new | uutta |
| vanha | old | vanhaa |
| kaunis | beautiful | kaunista |
Examples
Se on hyvä idea.
That's a good idea.
hyvä (nominative)
Tämä on uusi auto.
This is a new car.
uusi
Helsinki on kaunis kaupunki.
Helsinki is a beautiful city.
kaunis
Suomi on pieni maa.
Finland is a small country.
pieni
Practice Exercises
4 exercises
Complete: 'Asun ___ talossa.' (I live in a big house.)
Complete: 'Ruoka on ___.' (The food is good.)
What is the nominative plural of 'iso talo' (big house)?
Complete: 'Hän ei halunnut ___ sammakkoa.' (She didn't want a cold frog.)
See Real Examples in Stories
Now that you've practiced, see this grammar in context
“Emma ja Sophie olivat sisaruksia, jotka asuivat pienessä kaupungissa.”
“Ruoka oli hyvää eikä kallista.”
“Hän ei halunnut kylmää, märkää sammakkoa kauniiseen sänkyynsä.”
“Anna työskenteli pienessä markkinointiyrityksessä kaupungin keskustassa.”
Practice with A2 Stories
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