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Finnish

### Verb Rections: The Elative Case

Just as some verbs demand the illative case, others require the **elative case**. The elative is typically the "out of" or "from" case, and it is formed by adding **-sta** or **-stä** to the word stem.

When discussing asceticism and monastic life, you will frequently use the verb **kieltäytyä** (to refuse or decline). In Finnish, this verb requires the thing being refused to be in the elative case—conceptually, you are removing yourself "out of" the thing you decline.

Any adjectives modifying the noun must also take the elative ending. For example, **maallinen nautinto** (worldly pleasure) becomes **maallisesta nautinnosta**.

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### Abstaining and Explaining Why

The verb **pidättäytyä** (to abstain) follows the exact same rule, requiring the elative case for the thing you are avoiding. For example, **ylellisyys** (luxury) becomes **ylellisyydestä**.

To explain *why* someone is abstaining, you will often use the postposition **takia** (because of). Like most postpositions, **takia** requires the word that comes immediately before it to be in the genitive case (ending in **-n**). For instance, **tiukka paasto** (strict fast) becomes **tiukan paaston takia**.

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### Plural Elative

If a monk is refusing multiple pleasures, you will need the plural elative. The plural marker **-i-** is inserted before the case ending, resulting in the suffix **-ista** or **-istä**.

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### Worldly vs. Spiritual

Remember that verb rections only apply to specific verbs. When talking about what ascetics *are* looking for using a standard transitive verb like **etsiä** (to seek), the object will take the partitive case, not the elative.

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Verbs taking the elative case (kieltäytyä)

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
monk	munkki
monastery	luostari
worldly	maallinen
pleasure	nautinto
The monk lives in a monastery and refuses worldly pleasure.	Munkki asuu luostarissa ja kieltäytyy maallisesta nautinnosta.
nun	nunna
to pray	rukoilla
The nuns pray in the quiet monastery every day.	Nunnat rukoilevat hiljaisessa luostarissa joka päivä.
to abstain	pidättäytyä
luxury	ylellisyys
The monk, as you know, abstains from all luxury.	Munkkihan pidättäytyy kaikesta ylellisyydestä.
fasting	paasto
The nun abstains from food because of the strict fast.	Nunna pidättäytyy ruoasta tiukan paaston takia.
spiritual	hengellinen
They do not seek worldly luxury, but rather spiritual peace.	He eivät etsi maallista ylellisyyttä, vaan hengellistä rauhaa.
Because of the fast, I pray a lot.	Paaston takia rukoilen paljon.
Two monks refuse wine and meat.	Kaksi munkkia kieltäytyy viinistä ja lihasta.
Doesn't he abstain from luxury?	Eikö hän pidättäydy ylellisyydestä?
There is no luxury in the monastery, but rather only a simple life.	Luostarissa ei ole ylellisyyttä, vaan vain yksinkertainen elämä.
The spiritual man sits on the floor and prays.	Hengellinen mies istuu lattialla ja rukoilee.
The monks refuse worldly pleasures.	Munkit kieltäytyvät maallisista nautinnoista.