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Finnish

### Describing Mass Nouns

In Finnish, mass nouns are uncountable substances like materials, liquids, or powders (for example, iron, sand, and dust). When you describe a mass noun with an adjective after the verb *olla* (to be), the adjective—the subject complement—must be in the **partitive singular**.

For example, instead of using the basic nominative form *raskas* (heavy), you use its partitive form *raskasta*.

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You also use the partitive singular when stating what material or substance a specific object is made of. When a noun acts as the subject complement describing a material, it goes into the partitive.

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Whether you are describing the substance with an adjective or identifying its material, the partitive rule applies consistently to uncountable masses.

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### Abstract Subjects

Abstract concepts and intangible things—like youth, envy, or time—behave the same way as mass nouns. When the subject of your sentence is an abstract idea, the adjective describing it must also be in the partitive singular.

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General statements about uncountable necessities, such as water or sleep, follow this exact same pattern.

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Partitive singular subject complements

adjective

adposition

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

postposition

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Demonstrative pronouns (tämä, tuo, se)

Singular personal pronouns (minä, sinä, hän)

Plural personal pronouns (me, te, he)

Plural demonstratives (nämä, nuo, ne)

Coordinating conjunctions (ja, mutta, tai)

Yes/no questions (-ko / -kö)

Basic question words (kuka, mikä, missä)

Negation of to be (en ole, ei ole)

The inessive case (-ssa / -ssä)

Double consonant gradation (kk, pp, tt)

Consonant gradation (-ssa/-ssä)

Verb Type 1 (puhun, puhut, puhuu)

Verb Type 1 with consonant gradation

Negative verbs (en puhu, et lue)

External location (-lla/-llä)

There is / there are (kaupungissa on)

Possession (minulla on)

Numbers 1 to 10 (yksi, kaksi, kolme)

The partitive singular (-a/-ä, -ta/-tä)

Quantities with numbers (kaksi autoa)

Negative possession (ei ole)

Numbers 11 to 100 and 1000

Partitive verbs

Partitive personal pronouns (minua, sinua)

Verb Type 2 (-da/-dä)

Partitive for mass nouns (-a/-ä, -ta/-tä)

Partitive for negative objects

Adjective agreement

Verb Type 3

The elative case (-sta/-stä)

Negative possession (minulla ei ole…)

The illative case (-Vn, -hVn, -seen)

Numbers 21 to 99

Static vs. movement verbs

Verb Type 4 (-Vta / -Vtä)

Verb Type 5 (-ita / -itä)

Genitive singular for possession (-n)

Total object (-n)

Accusative personal pronouns (-t)

Obligation (täytyy)

Into places (-Vn, -hVn, -seen)

Postpositions with the genitive

My and your (-ni, -si)

Onto and to someone (-lle)

From someone or somewhere (-lta, -ltä)

Telling time (kello on...)

Months of the year (-ssa, -ssä)

Days of the week (-na, -nä)

When and why (milloin, miksi)

The illative case (mihin, -Vn, -hVn, -seen)

Past tense of to be (olin, olit, oli)

The seasons (kevät, kesä, syksy, talvi)

The imperative mood (lue!, syö!, mene!)

The past tense of to be (olin, oli)

The illative case (-hVn, -seen)

Greetings and goodbyes (hei, näkemiin)

Thank you and sorry (kiitos, anteeksi)

Liking things (pitää / tykätä + -sta/-stä)

Temporary states and roles (-na/-nä)

Change of state (-ksi)

Ongoing actions (-massa/-mässä)

Going to do an action (-maan/-mään)

Returning from an action (-masta/-mästä)

Third-person possessives (-nsa/-nsä or -Vn)

Plural possessives (-mme, -nne)

Indefinite pronouns (joku, jokin, kaikki)

Negative indefinite pronouns (ei kukaan, ei mikään)

Commands for verb types 4 and 5

Adverb formation (-sti)

Past tense for verb type 1 (-i-)

Past tense vowel changes for verb type 1 (-o- / -i-)

Past tense for verb type 2 (-i-)

Past tense for verb type 3 (-i-)

Past tense for verb type 4 (-si-)

Past tense for verb type 5 (-itsi-)

Past tense consonant gradation

Past participles for verb types 1 and 2 (-nut / -nyt)

Past participle singular for verb types 3-5 (-nnut, -llut)

Active past participle plural (-neet)

Past tense negative (en mennyt, emme olleet)

The perfect tense (olen ollut)

The perfect tense negative (en ole nähnyt)

Total plural objects (-t)

Partitive plural (-ia / -iä)

Partitive plural (-ja / -jä)

Question	Answer
iron	rauta
heavy (also burdensome, e.g. work)	raskas
Iron is heavy.	Rauta on raskasta.
This old sword is iron.	Tämä vanha miekka on rautaa.
sand	hiekka
Wet sand is heavy.	Märkä hiekka on painavaa.
The sand is not clean here.	Täällä hiekka ei ole puhdasta.
copper	kupari
Copper is expensive.	Kupari on kallista.
Is this copper?	Onko tämä kuparia?
dust	pöly
Dust is gray.	Pöly on harmaata.
Wash the window immediately, it is already twelve o'clock!	Pese ikkuna heti, kello on jo kaksitoista!
poison	myrkky
toxic	myrkyllinen
Is poison always toxic?	Onko myrkky aina myrkyllistä?
The police are looking for the poison.	Poliisi on etsimässä myrkkyä.
envy	kateus
Envy is terrible.	Kateus on kauheaa.
Youth is wonderful.	Nuoruus on ihanaa.
Leave the toxic mushroom in the forest!	Jätä myrkyllinen sieni metsään!
essential	välttämätön
Water is essential.	Vesi on välttämätöntä.
Silk is soft.	Silkki on pehmeää.
Envy is burdensome.	Kateus on raskasta.
Sleep is necessary.	Uni on välttämätöntä.
sticky	tahmea
The dough is sticky.	Taikina on tahmeaa.
This thick dirt is sticky dust.	Tämä paksu lika on tahmeaa pölyä.