Appendix:Finnish possessive suffixes

Finnish has a system of possessive suffixes. There are five distinct suffixes, depending on the person that is acting as the possessor (note that the third-person singular and third-person plural are not distinguished):

The suffix attaches to the end of the word, but assimilates a final in the genitive and illative forms.

Suffix or pronoun
The first-person and second-person suffixes can be used not just alongside, but in place of the pronoun, which can be omitted if a possessive suffix is present; thus and  are synonymous. The case for the third-person suffix is different: if used on its own, it has a reflexive meaning, and because of this, the third-person pronoun cannot be left out in the same way as the first- and second-person ones can:

Inflection
There are no separate nominative forms for inflected words; both the nominative singular and plural have identical forms to the genitive singular, if a possessive suffix is present. The suffixes themselves make no distinction for the number of the possessed, but can be attached to inflected forms; that is, words can be inflected even if they have a possessive suffix.

Third-person suffix
The third-person possessive suffix also has a short form (V represents the previous vowel that is made long), which can only be used after the short vowels a, ä, e, and may not be used in the nominative or genitive cases.


 * {| class="wikitable vsSwitcher" data-toggle-category="declension"

! class="nowrap vsToggleElement" colspan=3 | Can the nominal form take the short third-person possessive suffix? ! case || singular || plural
 * - class="vsHide"
 * - class="vsHide"
 * nominative || [[Image:X mark.svg|18px|link=|No]] No || [[Image:X mark.svg|18px|link=|No]] No
 * - class="vsHide"
 * genitive || [[Image:X mark.svg|18px|link=|No]] No || [[Image:X mark.svg|18px|link=|No]] No
 * - class="vsHide"
 * partitive || Possibly* || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes
 * - class="vsHide"
 * accusative || [[Image:X mark.svg|18px|link=|No]] No || [[Image:X mark.svg|18px|link=|No]] No
 * - class="vsHide"
 * inessive || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes
 * - class="vsHide"
 * elative || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes
 * - class="vsHide"
 * illative || [[Image:X mark.svg|18px|link=|No]] No || [[Image:X mark.svg|18px|link=|No]] No
 * - class="vsHide"
 * adessive || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes
 * - class="vsHide"
 * ablative || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes
 * - class="vsHide"
 * allative || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes
 * - class="vsHide"
 * essive || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes
 * - class="vsHide"
 * translative || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes
 * - class="vsHide"
 * abessive || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes
 * - class="vsHide"
 * instructive || &mdash; || [[Image:X mark.svg|18px|link=|No]] No
 * - class="vsHide"
 * comitative || &mdash; || [[Image:Yes check.svg|18px|link=|Yes]] Yes
 * - class="vsHide"
 * colspan="3" | *) If the partitive form does not end in or.
 * }

When the short suffix can be used, it usually is.

First-person suffix
The first-person singular possessive suffix has an alternative version,, which is poetic and thus chiefly used in poetry and music (however, its use is restricted; see the entry for more).

Colloquial Finnish
In colloquial language, possessive suffixes are usually not used, and the possessive structure instead uses the personal pronoun in the genitive case (which is subsequently never omitted). The same applies to e.g. postpositions. The comitative suffix, which requires a possessive suffix, is rarely used in colloquial speech anyway.

Uses
Possessive suffixes are not used (except for the reflexive usage of the third-person possessive suffix above) if the complement in the genitive case is not a pronoun (such as if it is a name).

Nouns
Most nouns can receive a possessive suffix.

In addition, the comitative case requires a possessive suffix for nouns (but not adjectives).

Adjectives
Adjectives usually do not receive a possessive suffix, even when used with a noun that has a possessive suffix. Thus, as an example, × is wrong, and should instead be.

However, if the adjective is used being substantively, i.e. without a modifying noun, it may receive a possessive suffix.

In addition, adjectives used for comparisons of equality (such as, etc.) can receive a possessive suffix (such as ). In this case, the modified noun does not automatically receive a possessive suffix.

Adverbs
Some adverbs receive a possessive suffix, and out of those most require it. The adverbs that require a possessive suffix are referred to as predicative adverbials (list).

Verb phrases
In some verb phrases, the object or some other word may receive a possessive suffix. There are two main types:
 * reflexive verbs, in which the possessive suffix corresponds to the person of the verb
 * non-reflexive verbs, in which the possessive suffix corresponds to the object; the possessive suffix is only used if the object is a personal pronoun
 * for first-person and second-person pronouns, the pronoun may be omitted if the possessive suffix is used
 * for third-person pronouns, the third-person pronoun must be included, since a third-person possessive suffix without a person has a reflexive meaning (object = self)

Participles
Agent participles require either a possessive suffix or a subject in the genitive case. For other types of participles, possessive suffixes are used as for adjectives.

Verb forms
Some verb forms, including participles, have special uses for possessive suffixes:
 * present active participle in genitive singular, with verbs like, , : "(subject) would/will..."
 * past active participle in genitive singular, with verbs like, , : "(subject) had done..."
 * inessive of active second infinitive: "while/as (subject) is/was..."
 * past passive participle in partitive singular: "(subject) having done..."
 * long first infinitive (requires a suffix): "in order for (subject) to do..."
 * fifth infinitive (requires a suffix): "(subject) was about to..."
 * (uncommon, optional) instructive of active second infinitive: "while (subject)..."
 * long first infinitive (requires a suffix): "in order for (subject) to do..."
 * fifth infinitive (requires a suffix): "(subject) was about to..."
 * (uncommon, optional) instructive of active second infinitive: "while (subject)..."
 * fifth infinitive (requires a suffix): "(subject) was about to..."
 * (uncommon, optional) instructive of active second infinitive: "while (subject)..."
 * (uncommon, optional) instructive of active second infinitive: "while (subject)..."

Postpositions
Certain postpositions, such as or, can also receive a possessive suffix.

With many of them, such as, it is required when the complement is a personal pronoun:

yet and.

Numerals
(Cardinal) numerals cannot receive a possessive suffix.