The elative case for "about"
When you talk, read, or think about something in Finnish, you use the elative case. This case is formed by adding the ending -sta or -stä (depending on vowel harmony) to the stem of a word.
If the noun has any modifiers—such as the pronoun tämä (this) or an adjective like uusi (new)—those modifiers must also take the elative ending. For example, tämä becomes tästä and uusi becomes uudesta.
Knowing and discussing
A wide variety of verbs related to sharing or holding information require the elative case. This includes verbs like tietää (to know), kertoa (to tell), and puhua (to speak). You will see this pattern frequently when discussing news, websites, and social media.
Hearing and asking
When you hear (kuulla) or ask (kysyä) about a topic, you continue to use the elative case. Keep in mind that in colloquial, spoken Finnish, demonstrative pronouns are often shortened. For example, tuosta (about that) is commonly shortened to tosta.
Reporting, dreaming, and complaining
Other cognitive and communicative verbs that trigger the elative include raportoida (to report), unelmoida (to dream), and valittaa (to complain). Whether the topic is a concrete problem or an abstract desire, the grammatical rule remains the same.
