Once you have decided — from aspect, quantity, and polarity — that an object is total rather than partitive, you still have to build it. And the total object is a shape-shifter: it borrows the ending of whatever case is convenient, so it looks like the genitive here, the nominative there, and keeps a real accusative ending only on pronouns. This page is the form reference. It answers one question: given a total object, which ending does it take? The four answers are singular -n, plural -t, bare nominative, and pronoun -t.
Singular: the genitive-shaped -n
A total object in the singular, in an ordinary clause with a real subject, takes -n — identical in shape to the genitive. This is why traditional grammars call it the "genitive-accusative."
Ostin auton käteisellä.
I bought the car in cash.
Näen talon jo tästä.
I can already see the house from here.
Otin kirjan mukaani junaan.
I took the book with me on the train.
The -n is not unique to the object — it is the genitive ending doing object duty. That has one consequence you must respect: the -n object takes the same stem, with the same consonant gradation, as the genitive. This is the trap that catches most learners.
The gradation trap
Because the -n object is built on the genitive stem, any consonant gradation that applies in the genitive applies here too. The single -n closes the final syllable, forcing the weak grade in stems that have a gradable consonant:
| Nominative | Total object (-n) | Gradation |
|---|---|---|
| katto (roof) | katon | tt → t |
| tyttö (girl) | tytön | tt → t |
| kauppa (shop) | kaupan | pp → p |
| pöytä (table) | pöydän | t → d |
| ranta (shore) | rannan | nt → nn |
| jalka (leg/foot) | jalan | lk → l |
Maalasin katon uudelleen viime kesänä.
I repainted the roof last summer.
Varasin pöydän kahdelle kello seitsemäksi.
I booked a table for two at seven.
Stems without a gradable consonant simply add -n with no change: auto → auton, talo → talon, kirja → kirjan. But never assume — if the word grades in the genitive, it grades as an object. Ostin kaupan, never ostin kauppan.
Plural: the nominative-shaped -t
A total object in the plural takes -t — the same ending as the nominative plural. There is no "-n plural" object; that shape does not exist.
Ostin liput jo netistä.
I already bought the tickets online.
Kadotin avaimet eilen bussissa.
I lost the keys on the bus yesterday.
Pesin kaikki lasit käsin.
I washed all the glasses by hand.
Note that the plural -t closes the syllable just as the singular -n does, so gradable stems show the weak grade here too: lippu → liput, katto → katot. The plural object built on the strong grade (*lipput) is always wrong.
Bare nominative: imperative, passive, necessive
In three frames the singular total object sheds its -n and appears as the bare nominative — the dictionary form:
| Frame | Example | Object |
|---|---|---|
| Imperative | Osta auto! — Buy a car! | auto (nominative) |
| Passive | Auto ostettiin eilen. — The car was bought yesterday. | auto (nominative) |
| Necessive | Minun täytyy ostaa auto. — I have to buy a car. | auto (nominative) |
The three share one hidden fact: none of them has an ordinary nominative subject. The imperative addresses an unnamed "you," the passive names no doer, and the necessive puts the person into the genitive (minun, meidän). With the nominative subject slot empty, the singular object rises to fill it. The mechanics — including how the plural (osta liput!) and pronoun objects behave in these frames — are the subject of Imperative, Passive, Necessive Objects.
Sulje ovi, ulkona on kylmä.
Close the door, it's cold outside.
Talo maalataan ensi kesänä.
The house will be painted next summer.
Meidän pitää varata pöytä ravintolasta.
We need to book a table at the restaurant.
Pronouns: the true accusative -t
Personal pronouns are the one place Finnish keeps a genuine accusative ending: -t. And unlike the noun object, this -t is loyal — it stays put in every frame, including the imperative, passive, and necessive that force nominative on nouns.
| Nominative | Accusative (object) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| minä | minut | me |
| sinä | sinut | you (sg) |
| hän | hänet | him / her |
| me | meidät | us |
| te | teidät | you (pl) |
| he | heidät | them |
Näen hänet vasta huomenna.
I won't see him/her until tomorrow.
Vie minut kotiin, olen ihan poikki.
Take me home, I'm completely worn out.
Meidät kutsuttiin naapurin juhliin.
We were invited to the neighbour's party.
The last two are exactly the frames that would strip a noun down to the nominative — vie minut is an imperative, meidät kutsuttiin is a passive — yet the pronoun keeps its -t. The interrogative kuka ("who") behaves identically: its accusative is kenet ("Kenet näit?" — "Who(m) did you see?").
The demonstratives are a useful contrast: se ("it") and tämä ("this") are not personal pronouns, so they pattern with nouns — total object sen, tämän in the singular, ne, nämä in the plural. Only the personal pronouns and kuka take the special accusative -t.
Otan sen mukaan, jos se mahtuu laukkuun.
I'll take it along if it fits in the bag.
English speakers' two habits
English has no case on the object, so two habits transfer wrongly. The first is adding -n to an imperative object — *osta auton — on the analogy of ostan auton; the imperative has no subject, so it must be osta auto. The second is reaching for the genitive pronoun as an object — *näen hänen, *vie minun — because English "him" and "his" both map loosely onto hän. Keep object -t (hänet, minut) apart from possessive -n (hänen, minun) and both errors disappear.
Common Mistakes
❌ Osta auton!
Incorrect — after an imperative the singular total object is the bare nominative: auto.
✅ Osta auto!
Buy a car!
❌ Ostin auto.
Incorrect — with a real subject the singular total object takes -n: auton.
✅ Ostin auton.
I bought a/the car.
❌ Ostin kauppan eilen.
Incorrect — the -n object grades like the genitive: kaupan (pp → p).
✅ Ostin kaupan eilen.
I bought the shop yesterday.
❌ Näen hänen joka päivä.
Incorrect — hänen is 'his/her'; the object pronoun is hänet.
✅ Näen hänet joka päivä.
I see him/her every day.
❌ Ostin lipput jo netistä.
Incorrect — the plural -t forces the weak grade: liput (pp → p).
✅ Ostin liput jo netistä.
I already bought the tickets online.
Key Takeaways
- The singular total object is the genitive-shaped -n (ostin auton) — same stem, same gradation as the genitive (kauppa → kaupan).
- The plural total object is the nominative-shaped -t (ostin liput); a plural object in -n does not exist.
- After imperative, passive, and necessive the singular object drops to the bare nominative (osta auto!), because those frames have no nominative subject.
- Personal pronouns keep a real accusative in -t — minut, sinut, hänet, meidät, teidät, heidät (and kenet) — even in those three frames.
- Keep object -t apart from possessive -n: hänet (him/her) vs hänen (his/her).
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Start learning Finnish→Related Topics
- The Accusative: A Case Without Its Own EndingA2 — Finnish marks the total object with a borrowed ending — genitive -n, nominative, or -t; only pronouns keep a true accusative (minut, sinut, hänet).
- Nominative Objects: Imperatives and PassivesB1 — After an imperative, passive, or necessive verb the singular total object is the bare nominative, not -n — these clauses have no nominative subject.
- Plural ObjectsB1 — A total plural object is the nominative -t (ostin kirjat, 'the books'); a partial plural object is the partitive plural (ostin kirjoja, 'some books').
- The Object: Total vs PartialA2 — Every Finnish object is either total (accusative) or partial (partitive). Negation, aspect, and quantity each force the partitive — there is no neutral default.
- Genitive -n: Possession and MoreA1 — The genitive -n (talon, käden, Helsingin) marks possession, the singular total object, and the case every postposition demands — attached with weak gradation.