Relative adjectives of quality (jollainen)

The Relative Adjective Jollainen

When you want to describe a noun by referring to its kind, quality, or type, use the relative adjective jollainen (the kind of which / such as). It frequently pairs with sellainen (such a kind) in the main clause.

We have the kind of chandelier that is very rare now.
Meillä on sellainen kattokruunu, jollainen on nyt hyvin harvinainen.

Case Inflection of Jollainen

Like the relative pronoun joka, jollainen takes its case from its grammatical role in the relative clause. Because it ends in -nen, its stem changes when adding case endings:

  • In the partitive case, -nen becomes -s-
    • ta (jollaista).
  • For most other cases (like inessive or elative), -nen becomes -se- before the ending.
CaseFormUsage in Relative Clause
NominativejollainenSubject or simple "is" statement
PartitivejollaistaObject of verbs like etsiä or vaatia
InessivejollaisessaMeaning "in which kind"
ElativejollaisestaUsed with verbs like haaveilla (to dream about)

When the relative clause uses a verb that requires the partitive case (like etsiä, to look for), jollainen becomes jollaista:

This is the kind of family heirloom that the antique dealer is looking for.
Tämä on sellainen sukukalleus, jollaista antiikkikauppias etsii.
This is the kind of certificate of authenticity that every antique dealer demands.
Tämä on sellainen aitoustodistus, jollaista jokainen antiikkikauppias vaatii.

If the verb requires the elative case, such as haaveilla (to dream about something), use jollaisesta:

Did you restore that sideboard, the kind we dreamed about?
Kunnostitko sen senkin, jollaisesta me haaveilimme?

When describing what is inside or contained within that kind of item, use the inessive form jollaisessa:

Where will we find the kind of chandelier that has brass in it?
Mistä me löydämme sellaisen kattokruunun, jollaisessa on messinkiä?