The Adessive Case: Tools and Instruments
In English, you use prepositions like "with" to express the tool you use (e.g., "with a hammer"). In Finnish, you express this by attaching the Adessive case ending to the noun.
The ending is either -lla or -llä, depending on vowel harmony:
- Use -lla if the word contains back vowels (a, o, u).
- Use -llä if the word contains front vowels (y, ä, ö) or only neutral vowels (e, i).
| I fix the door with a hammer. | Korjaan oven vasaralla. |
| I cut the board with a saw. | Leikkaan laudan sahalla. |
| The man opens the radio with a screwdriver. | Mies avaa radion ruuvimeisselillä. |
Adjective Agreement and Word Stems
Like all Finnish case endings, the -lla/-llä suffix attaches to the word's inflectional stem, not always the dictionary form. For example, kirves (axe) uses the stem kirvee-, and sivellin (paintbrush) uses the stem siveltime-.
Additionally, if you describe the tool with an adjective, the adjective must also take the -lla/-llä ending to agree with the noun.
| I fix the computer with a small screwdriver. | Korjaan tietokoneen pienellä ruuvimeisselillä. |
| Father is chopping firewood with an axe. | Isä hakkaa polttopuita kirveellä. |
| I paint the wall with a new paintbrush. | Maalaan seinän uudella siveltimellä. |
Means of Transport
The adessive case is also used to express how you are traveling. While English uses phrases like "by taxi" or "on a ferry", Finnish simply attaches the -lla/-llä ending to the vehicle.
| I go home by taxi because it is raining. | Menen kotiin taksilla, koska sataa. |
| We travel to the island by ferry. | Matkustamme saarelle lautalla. |
| The young boy rides a moped to the city. | Nuori poika ajaa kaupunkiin mopolla. |
