See also: vn, VN, .vn, and Vn.

Finnish edit

Pronunciation edit

Etymology 1 edit

From -hVn where the -h- has been elided between unstressed short vowels.

Suffix edit

-an, -en, -in, -on, -un, -yn, -än, -ön (linguistic notation -Vn, V corresponds to the preceding vowel)

  1. Forms the illative singular case.
Usage notes edit
  • See the appendix on Finnish nominal cases for more information on how the illative case is used.
  • Used after an unstressed short vowel. The vowel is the same as the final vowel in the stem, thus producing a long vowel.
Examples
word stem illative
jalka jalka- jalkaan
miniä miniä- miniään
oikea oikea- oikeaan
tuli tule- tuleen
Alternative forms edit
See also edit

Etymology 2 edit

From Proto-Finnic *-hën, from Proto-Uralic *-sen (third-person singular possessive suffix).

Suffix edit

-an, -en, -än (linguistic notation -Vn, V corresponds to the preceding vowel)

  1. The shorter third-person possessive suffix.
Usage notes edit

Can always be replaced with -nsa, the longer third-person possessive suffix, but not the other way around. Specifically, -Vn can be used:

  • when the vowel preceding -nsa is a short a, ä and e (general rule, but defers to the next two)
  • for nominal inflections (including participles and adverbs derived from such), all cases except the nominative, genitive, illative and instructive
  • for verbal inflections, the long 1st infinitive, the 2nd infinitive, and the 5th infinitive
Alternative forms edit
  • (depending on the preceding vowel (i.e. lengthens the preceding vowel)) -an, -en, -än

Etymology 3 edit

From the illative ending (etymology 1) attached directly to the verb stem.

Suffix edit

-an, -en, -in, -on, -un, -yn, -än, -ön (linguistic notation -Vn, V corresponds to the preceding vowel) (colloquial)

  1. Alternative form of -maan
Usage notes edit
  • Example: ottaan = standard ottamaan.
  • Originally a Tavastian dialectal characteristic, but nowadays can be encountered in urban "non-dialectal" speech.
See also edit