Verbs of Separating and Distinguishing
The elative case (-sta / -stä) is typically known as the "out of" case. However, it is also grammatically required by certain verbs that involve separating things, drawing a distinction, or relying on something.
For instance, the verb erottaa (to distinguish / to tell apart) requires the thing you are comparing against to be in the elative case.
| It is difficult to distinguish a genuine painting from a forgery. | On vaikeaa erottaa aito taulu väärennöksestä. |
Another common verb requiring the elative is riippua (to depend on). While English uses "on", Finnish uses the "out of" case to express what a situation stems from.
| This is probably original, but that depends on the expert. | Tämä taitaa olla alkuperäinen, mutta se riippuu asiantuntijasta. |
Standing Out and Consisting Of
The related verb erottua (to stand out) uses the same logic as erottaa: you stand out from the background or from a copy.
| A genuine gem stands out from a copy immediately. | Aito jalokivi erottuu heti kopiosta. |
Similarly, when describing what something is made of, use koostua (to consist) combined with the elative.
| The whole scam consists only of lies. | Koko huijaus koostuu vain valheista. |
Being Mistaken and Benefiting
The "out of" logic extends to being separated from the truth or drawing an advantage out of a situation.
When you are mistaken about something, Finnish uses erehtyä + elative. When you benefit from something, use hyötyä + elative.
| An expert is never mistaken about an original work. | Asiantuntija ei koskaan erehdy alkuperäisestä teoksesta. |
| The criminal probably benefits from this scam. | Rikollinen taitaa hyötyä tästä huijauksesta. |
| We benefit from the fact that the genuine product stands out from the forgery. | Me hyödymme siitä, että aito tuote erottuu väärennöksestä. |