A2 Finnish GrammarPrepositions (Location & Direction)
Master Finnish postpositions and prepositions for location and direction. Unlike most European languages, Finnish primarily uses postpositions (placed after the noun) and case endings instead of prepositions. Learn the essential location markers and how they combine with cases.
1Postpositions vs Prepositions
Finnish uses mostly postpositions (placed after the noun) rather than prepositions (before the noun). The noun before a postposition is usually in the genitive case. Some words can be used as both prepositions and postpositions with slight meaning differences.
Common Postpositions
| Finnish | English | Case Used |
|---|---|---|
| edessä | in front of | genitive |
| takana | behind | genitive |
| vieressä | next to | genitive |
| alla | under | genitive |
| päällä | on top of | genitive |
| sisällä | inside | genitive |
Examples
Auto on talon edessä.
The car is in front of the house.
talon (gen.) + edessä
Kissa on sohvan alla.
The cat is under the sofa.
sohvan (gen.) + alla
Hän seisoo minun vieressäni.
He/she stands next to me.
minun (gen.) + vieressä + ni
Avaimet ovat pöydän päällä.
The keys are on top of the table.
pöydän (gen.) + päällä
2Direction with Postpositions
Finnish postpositions change form to indicate direction (to/from). Location uses -ssa/-llä endings, direction toward uses -an/-lle, and direction from uses -sta/-lta. This three-way system is consistent across postpositions.
Location-Direction-Origin
| Meaning | Location | To (direction) | From (origin) |
|---|---|---|---|
| front | edessä | eteen | edestä |
| behind | takana | taakse | takaa |
| next to | vieressä | viereen | vierestä |
| under | alla | alle | alta |
| on | päällä | päälle | päältä |
Examples
Menen auton eteen.
I go in front of the car.
eteen = to the front
Tulen talon takaa.
I come from behind the house.
takaa = from behind
Hän istuu minun viereen.
He/she sits down next to me.
viereen = to next to
Ota kirja hyllyn päältä.
Take the book from on top of the shelf.
päältä = from on top
3True Prepositions
Finnish has a few true prepositions that come before the noun. These include 'ennen' (before), 'ilman' (without), 'keskellä' (in the middle of), and some time expressions. The noun following is usually in the partitive case.
Finnish Prepositions
| Finnish | English | Case Used |
|---|---|---|
| ennen | before | partitive |
| ilman | without | partitive |
| kohti | toward | partitive |
| pitkin | along | partitive |
| vasten | against | partitive |
| keskellä | in the middle of | partitive |
Examples
Tulen ennen sinua.
I come before you.
ennen + sinua (partitive)
En voi elää ilman kahvia.
I cannot live without coffee.
ilman + kahvia (partitive)
Hän kävelee kohti metsää.
He/she walks toward the forest.
kohti + metsää (partitive)
Kävelin pitkin katua.
I walked along the street.
pitkin + katua (partitive)
4Common Expressions with Postpositions
Finnish has many idiomatic expressions using postpositions. These are essential for everyday communication. Note how pronouns in genitive form combine with postpositions, and some postpositions can take possessive suffixes.
Useful Expressions
| Finnish | English | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| hänen kanssaan | with him/her | gen. + kanssa |
| meidän puolestamme | on our behalf | gen. + puolesta |
| sinun tähtesi | for your sake | gen. + tähden |
| heidän sijastaan | instead of them | gen. + sijasta |
Examples
Tuletko minun kanssani?
Will you come with me?
minun + kanssa + ni
Teen tämän sinun puolestasi.
I will do this on your behalf.
sinun + puolesta + si
Hän tulee Marin sijasta.
He/she comes instead of Mari.
Marin (gen.) + sijasta
Odotan sinua koulun luona.
I will wait for you near the school.
koulun (gen.) + luona