Adjectives as demographic groups
In English, you can talk about a specific group of people by putting "the" in front of an adjective, such as "the homeless" or "the sick". In Finnish, you do this by simply taking the adjective and using it in its plural form. No extra noun (like ihmiset) is needed!
By adding the plural -t ending to the basic adjective, it becomes a noun representing everyone in that demographic.
| The underprivileged need more support and better social security. | Vähävaraiset tarvitsevat enemmän tukea ja parempaa sosiaaliturvaa. |
| The homeless come here, because they do not have a home. | Asunnottomat käyvät täällä, sillä heillä ei ole kotia. |
| The disadvantaged thanked the organization for this new support network. | Heikompiosaiset kiittivät järjestöä tästä uudesta tukiverkosta. |
Declining nominalized adjectives
Because these adjectives are now acting as the main noun of the phrase, they take case endings just like any other noun.
For example, if the demographic group is the object of a verb that requires the partitive case (such as auttaa or tukea), you must use the partitive plural rather than the nominative plural.
| I would help the underprivileged if I had a better income. | Mä auttais vähävaraisia, jos mulla ois parempi toimeentulo. |
| Rehabilitation is the best resource when we support the marginalized. | Kuntoutus on paras voimavara, kun tuemme syrjäytyneitä. |
Discussing the welfare state
These independent adjectives are highly common when discussing social initiatives, the welfare state (hyvinvointivaltio), and support networks (tukiverkko). You will frequently see multiple plural adjectives grouped together to describe who benefits from society's resources.
| The welfare state ensures that the sick and the unemployed receive social security. | Hyvinvointivaltio huolehtii siitä, että sairaat ja työttömät saavat sosiaaliturvaa. |
| The disadvantaged can help themselves by searching for new resources. | Heikompiosaiset voivat auttaa itseään etsimällä uusia voimavaroja. |