Verbs taking the illative case (suostua, sopeutua)

Verb Rections: The Illative Case

In Finnish, many verbs "govern" their accompanying nouns, requiring them to be in a specific case regardless of the English translation. This is called verb rection. Several verbs describing orientation, reaction, or commitment demand the illative case (the "into" case, usually ending in a lengthened vowel + -n, -hVn, or -seen).

Adapting and Settling

The verbs sopeutua (to adapt) and tyytyä (to settle for) require the illative case for the environment or situation you are adjusting to.

For example, erämaa (wilderness) becomes erämaahan, and leiri (camp) becomes leiriin.

He adapts to the wilderness very quickly.
Hän sopeutuu erämaahan hyvin nopeasti.
I must adapt to this camp.
Minun pitää sopeutua tähän leiriin.

Adjectives modifying the noun must also match in the illative case. For example, karu todellisuus (harsh reality) becomes karuun todellisuuteen.

We must settle for this harsh reality.
Meidän pitää tyytyä tähän karuun todellisuuteen.
Although the competitor is hungry, he does not settle for bad food.
Vaikka kilpailija on nälkäinen, hän ei tyydy huonoon ruokaan.

Consenting and Resorting

When navigating reality show politics, you will also use suostua (to consent to) and turvautua (to resort to). Like the adapting verbs, these also take the illative case for the thing being agreed to or relied upon.

Words ending in -s, like petos (betrayal), often have an illative ending in -kseen (e.g., petokseen).

You should consent to a new alliance.
Sinun kannattaa suostua uuteen liittoumaan.
Although he schemes, he does not consent to the betrayal.
Vaikka hän juonittelee, hän ei suostu petokseen.
They resort to this alliance.
He turvautuvat tähän liittoumaan.

Making Alliances

Not all strategic verbs take the illative. When forming teams, you use the verb liittoutua (to ally oneself). To specify who you are allying with, use the postposition kanssa, which requires the preceding noun or pronoun to be in the genitive case (like kenen, the genitive of kuka).

Who do you intend to ally with?
Kenen kanssa aiot liittoutua?
We should ally ourselves and win together.
Meidän kannattaa liittoutua ja voittaa yhdessä.