Keraamikko muotoilee savesta maljakon.

Because savesta is the elative case of savi (clay).

The elative often means out of, from, or made from. In this sentence, savesta tells you the material the vase is being shaped from:

• savi = clay
• savesta = from clay / out of clay

So Keraamikko muotoilee savesta maljakon literally has the idea:

A ceramic artist shapes a vase out of clay.

This is very common in Finnish when talking about what something is made from.

Maljakon is the object form here.

The base word is:

• maljakko = vase

In the sentence, the vase is the thing being made, so it is the object. Because the action is seen as producing a complete, whole result, Finnish uses the total object here, and in the singular that often looks like -n:

• maljakko = vase
• maljakon = the vase / a whole vase as the completed object

So the sentence suggests that the ceramic artist is shaping a vase as a complete item, not just working on it vaguely or partially.

Here, -n marks the total object in the singular.

A very important Finnish idea is the difference between:

• a total object = the action affects the whole object or reaches a result
• a partitive object = the action is incomplete, ongoing, partial, or indefinite in a different way

Compare:

• muotoilee maljakon = shapes a vase, with the idea of a complete vase/result
• muotoilee maljakkoa = is shaping a vase, focusing more on the ongoing process or an incomplete object

So in your sentence, maljakon makes good sense because the artist is shaping a vase as an intended finished object.

Because savesta is not the thing being directly acted on in the same way that maljakon is.

In this sentence:

• maljakon is the object: the vase is what is being shaped
• savesta expresses the material/source: the vase is shaped from clay

So Finnish is separating two ideas:

1. What is being produced? → maljakon
2. What is it made from? → savesta

That is why they are in different cases.

Muotoilee is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb muotoilla.

So:

• muotoilla = to shape, to form
• hän muotoilee = he/she shapes
• keraamikko muotoilee = the ceramic artist shapes

This is the form used with a singular subject like keraamikko.

A few present-tense forms are:

• minä muotoilen = I shape
• sinä muotoilet = you shape
• hän muotoilee = he/she shapes
• me muotoilemme = we shape
• te muotoilette = you all shape
• he muotoilevat = they shape

Because muotoilla is a verb type that changes its stem when conjugated.

The dictionary form ends in -lla, but in the present tense it uses a stem with -ele-:

• muotoilla → stem muotoile-

Then the third-person singular present gets -e at the end:

• muotoile-
  • e = muotoilee

This pattern is common with verbs like:

• ajatella → ajattelee
• kuunnella → kuuntelee
• opiskella → opiskelee

So muotoilee follows a normal Finnish conjugation pattern.

Because Finnish does not have articles like English a/an and the.

So:

• keraamikko can mean a ceramic artist or the ceramic artist
• maljakon can mean a vase or the vase

The exact meaning depends on the context.

In this sentence, English might translate it as:

• A ceramic artist shapes a vase out of clay.
• or The ceramic artist shapes the vase out of clay.

Without context, Finnish usually leaves that open.

Because it is in the basic nominative form and it matches the verb as the doer of the action.

Here:

• keraamikko = the subject, the person doing the shaping
• muotoilee = the verb
• savesta = from clay
• maljakon = the object

So the structure is basically:

Subject + Verb + Material + Object

Even though Finnish word order is flexible, the case endings make the roles clear.

Yes. Finnish word order is more flexible than English because the case endings show grammatical roles.

The neutral order here is:

• Keraamikko muotoilee savesta maljakon.

But other orders are possible, depending on emphasis:

• Savesta keraamikko muotoilee maljakon.
  Emphasis on from clay
• Maljakon keraamikko muotoilee savesta.
  Emphasis on the vase

The default sentence you were given is a very natural, neutral way to say it.

By itself, it does not necessarily mean a specific vase.

Because Finnish has no articles, maljakon can mean:

• a vase
• the vase

What the -n tells you here is not really specificity, but that the vase is the total object.

So the sentence mainly tells us that a vase is being shaped as a whole result. Whether it is a particular vase or just a vase in general depends on context.

Not in the same meaning.

• savesta = from clay / out of clay
• savia = clay in the partitive, usually meaning some clay or clay as an unbounded amount

In this sentence, the intended idea is making something out of a material, so savesta is the natural choice.

If you used savia, the sentence would not express the same structure naturally. Finnish prefers savesta when saying that something is formed or made from clay.

Keraamikko is a noun meaning a person who works with ceramics, such as a ceramic artist or potter, depending on context.

It comes from the same general area of vocabulary as:

• keramiikka = ceramics

But:

• keramiikka = the material/art form
• keraamikko = the person

So keraamikko is the profession or role of the subject in the sentence.

It can be either, depending on context.

The Finnish present tense often covers both:

• an action happening now
• a habitual action
• a general statement

So this could mean:

• The ceramic artist is shaping a vase out of clay.
• A ceramic artist shapes vases out of clay.
  though your exact sentence is singular a vase
• The ceramic artist shapes a vase from clay.

Without more context, Finnish leaves that somewhat open.

Yes: it shows three very useful Finnish patterns at once.

1. No articles

   • Finnish does not use a/the

2. Case endings carry meaning

   • savesta = from clay
   • maljakon = whole/completed object

3. The object case matters

   • maljakon suggests a complete result
   • this is a key Finnish grammar idea

So this short sentence is a great example of how Finnish often expresses meaning through endings instead of separate little words.