A2 Finnish GrammarAdjective Endings
Master how Finnish adjectives agree with nouns in number and case. Unlike English, Finnish adjectives change form to match the noun they describe. Learn the patterns for nominative, partitive, and other common cases to make your Finnish sound natural.
1Nominative Agreement
In Finnish, adjectives agree with nouns in both number and case. In the nominative (basic) form, singular adjectives stay unchanged, while plural adjectives take the -t ending. The adjective always comes before the noun, just like in English.
Nominative Adjective Forms
| Adjective | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| iso (big) | iso talo | isot talot |
| pieni (small) | pieni koira | pienet koirat |
| kaunis (beautiful) | kaunis kukka | kauniit kukat |
| vanha (old) | vanha mies | vanhat miehet |
| uusi (new) | uusi auto | uudet autot |
Examples
Iso koira juoksee.
The big dog runs.
iso = singular nominative
Isot koirat juoksevat.
The big dogs run.
isot = plural nominative
Tämä on kaunis päivä.
This is a beautiful day.
kaunis = singular predicative
Nämä ovat uudet kengät.
These are the new shoes.
uudet = plural nominative
2Partitive Agreement
When the noun is in partitive case, the adjective must also be in partitive. Singular partitive adjectives take -a/-ä (following vowel harmony), while plural partitive uses -ia/-iä. This is used after numbers, with mass nouns, and in many common expressions.
Partitive Adjective Forms
| Adjective | Singular Part. | Plural Part. |
|---|---|---|
| iso | isoa taloa | isoja taloja |
| pieni | pientä koiraa | pieniä koiria |
| hyvä | hyvää ruokaa | hyviä kirjoja |
| kylmä | kylmää vettä | kylmiä päiviä |
| lämmin | lämmintä kahvia | lämpimiä kesäpäiviä |
Examples
Juon kylmää vettä.
I drink cold water.
kylmää vettä = partitive (mass noun)
Näen kolme isoa taloa.
I see three big houses.
isoa = partitive after number
Haluan hyvää kahvia.
I want good coffee.
hyvää = partitive with mass noun
Meillä on paljon hyviä ystäviä.
We have many good friends.
hyviä = plural partitive
3Other Case Agreement
Adjectives must match nouns in all cases, not just nominative and partitive. In inessive (-ssa/-ssä), the adjective also takes -ssa/-ssä. In adessive (-lla/-llä), both take -lla/-llä. The pattern applies to all 15 Finnish cases.
Common Case Forms
| Case | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| inessive | isossa talossa | in the big house |
| elative | isosta talosta | from the big house |
| adessive | isolla pihalla | in the big yard |
| allative | isolle pihalle | to the big yard |
| genitive | ison talon | of the big house |
Examples
Asun isossa talossa.
I live in a big house.
isossa talossa = inessive
Tulen pienestä kaupungista.
I come from a small city.
pienestä = elative case
Istun vanhalla tuolilla.
I sit on an old chair.
vanhalla = adessive case
Menen uuteen ravintolaan.
I go to the new restaurant.
uuteen = illative case
4Special Adjective Types
Some Finnish adjectives have irregular stems that change in different cases. Adjectives ending in -nen have a stem in -s- (e.g., punainen → punais-). Adjectives like uusi (new) and pieni (small) have consonant gradation in some forms.
Adjectives with -nen
| Nominative | Stem | Partitive |
|---|---|---|
| punainen (red) | punais- | punaista |
| sininen (blue) | sinis- | sinistä |
| valkoinen (white) | valkois- | valkoista |
| suomalainen (Finnish) | suomalais- | suomalaista |
| iloinen (happy) | ilois- | iloista |
Examples
Minulla on punainen auto.
I have a red car.
punainen = nominative
Näen punaista autoa.
I see a red car.
punaista = partitive (stem punais-)
Hän on iloinen tänään.
He/she is happy today.
iloinen = predicative nominative
Suomalainen ruoka on hyvää.
Finnish food is good.
suomalainen = -nen adjective