Friday, February 26, 2016

Plural genitive in Finnish

Plural genitive can be a bit tricky, but here's a great link explaining how it's formed. I would't worry too much about the details. I usually suggest that my students would memorize 20 plural genitives that they need the most, and then just play it by the ear with other words.

Plural genitive expresses the ownership:


  • lasten vaatteet - children's clothes
  • miesten vessa - men's toilet
  • naisten vuoro - women's turn
  • potilaiden omaiset - the family members of the patients
  • ystävien ystävät - friends' friends
  • serkkujen serkut - cousins' cousins

It's also used with postpositions:


  • kavereiden kanssa - with friends
  • asikkaiden kanssa - with customers
  • ystävien luokse - to friends' place
  • tyttöjen jälkeen - after the girls
  • töiden jälkeen - after work(s)
  • poikien vieressä - next to the boys
  • suomalaisten mielestä - in Finnish people's opinion
  • asiakkaiden takia - because of the customers


The personal pronouns behave like this:


  • Meidän automme - Our car
  • Teidän asuntonne - Your apartment
  • Heidän kotinsa - Their home 


These are the same expressions in spoken language:


  • Meiän auto
  • Teiän asunto
  • Niien koti


About the author of Random Finnish Lesson: 


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new. 

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