The Finnish partitive case: when to use it and how to form it
The partitive is the Finnish case you will use most after the basic form. It has a few clear jobs and three endings, and this guide walks through all of them with examples.
5 min read · Updated 10 October 2026
What the partitive does
The partitive is about part of something or something not complete. You use it for an amount of coffee rather than one whole cup, for a book you are still reading, and for things that are not there. The idea of incompleteness connects most of its uses.
Juon kahvia.
I drink coffee. / I'm drinking coffee.
Minulla on kaksi lasta.
I have two children.
Minulla ei ole autoa.
I don't have a car.
Rakastan sinua.
I love you.
How to form the partitive
The partitive has three endings. Which one you use depends on how the word ends. Vowel harmony decides between a and ä.
| Ending | When | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -a / -ä | The word ends in one short vowel | talo → taloa, kissa → kissaa, kylä → kylää, kahvi → kahvia, leipä → leipää |
| -ta / -tä | The word ends in a long vowel, a diphthong or a consonant | maa → maata, tee → teetä, työ → työtä, nainen → naista, kysymys → kysymystä, olut → olutta |
| -tta / -ttä | The word ends in -e | huone → huonetta, perhe → perhettä, kirje → kirjettä, kone → konetta |
Some common, older words ending in -i have a shorter stem in the partitive. Learn these as vocabulary:
- lapsi → lasta (child)
- vesi → vettä (water)
- käsi → kättä (hand)
- kieli → kieltä (language)
- nimi → nimeä (name)
- Suomi → Suomea, suomi → suomea (Finland, Finnish)
The partitive singular never weakens the consonant: kauppa → kauppaa, pankki → pankkia, katu → katua. If you know the basic form, the singular partitive is usually just the basic form plus an ending.
Words ending in -nen drop -nen and add -sta/-stä: nainen → naista, suomalainen → suomalaista. Personal pronouns are worth memorising as a set: minua, sinua, häntä, meitä, teitä, heitä.
1. After numbers and amount words
After every number except one, the noun is in the singular partitive. The same goes for amount words like paljon (a lot), vähän (a little), monta (many), pari (a couple) and measures like a cup, a glass or a kilo.
Yksi kahvi ja kaksi teetä, kiitos.
One coffee and two teas, please.
Se maksaa viisi euroa.
It costs five euros.
Olen asunut täällä kolme vuotta.
I have lived here for three years.
Kuppi kahvia ja lasi vettä.
A cup of coffee and a glass of water.
Täällä on paljon ihmisiä.
There are a lot of people here.
Olin siellä monta kertaa.
I was there many times.
After a number, Finnish uses the singular: kolme kirjaa, not kolme kirjoja. One is the exception: yksi kirja.
2. Uncountable things and unknown amounts
Food, drink and materials that you cannot count, like water, milk, bread or snow, go in the partitive when you mean some. Plural things go in the plural partitive when you mean some of them.
Ostan maitoa ja leipää.
I'm buying (some) milk and bread.
Haluatko kahvia?
Would you like some coffee?
Ulkona sataa lunta.
It's snowing outside.
Puistossa on lapsia.
There are (some) children in the park.
Kahvi ilman sokeria, kiitos.
Coffee without sugar, please.
Compare: Ostan leivän means I'm buying the loaf (one whole loaf). Ostan leipää means I'm buying some bread.
3. Negative sentences
When a sentence is negative, the object is in the partitive. So is the thing you do not have, and the thing that is not there. This rule is very reliable.
En juo kahvia.
I don't drink coffee.
Minulla ei ole autoa.
I don't have a car.
Kaupassa ei ole maitoa.
There's no milk in the shop.
En nähnyt Pekkaa.
I didn't see Pekka.
Read more about negative sentences in the Finnish negative verb.
4. Unfinished or ongoing actions
If an action is in progress or does not reach an end, the object is in the partitive. If it is finished and covers the whole object, the object takes the -n ending (the total object). This is how Finnish shows the difference between I was reading a book and I read the book.
| Partitive: ongoing or partial | Total object: finished, whole |
|---|---|
| Luen kirjaa. (I'm reading a book.) | Luin kirjan. (I read the book, to the end.) |
| Syön omenaa. (I'm eating an apple.) | Söin omenan. (I ate an apple, all of it.) |
| Rakennan taloa. (I'm building a house.) | Rakensin talon. (I built a house.) |
| Kirjoitan kirjettä. (I'm writing a letter.) | Kirjoitin kirjeen. (I wrote a letter.) |
5. Verbs that take the partitive
Some verbs describe actions that never really finish their object, so they usually take the partitive. These are the common ones:
| Verb | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| rakastaa (to love) | Rakastan sinua. | I love you. |
| auttaa (to help) | Voinko auttaa teitä? | Can I help you? |
| odottaa (to wait for) | Odotan bussia. | I'm waiting for the bus. |
| ajatella (to think about) | Ajattelen sinua. | I'm thinking about you. |
| etsiä (to look for) | Etsin avainta. | I'm looking for a key. |
| kiittää (to thank) | Kiitän teitä. | I thank you. |
| opiskella (to study) | Opiskelen suomea. | I'm studying Finnish. |
| puhua (to speak a language) | Puhun englantia. | I speak English. |
| kuunnella (to listen to) | Kuuntelen musiikkia. | I'm listening to music. |
| pelata (to play a game) | Pelaan jalkapalloa. | I play football. |
Pitää (to like) does not take the partitive. It takes the elative: Pidän kahvista. (I like coffee.)
6. Describing amounts and plurals with *olla*
After olla (to be), an adjective describing a mass word is in the partitive, and so is an adjective describing a plural subject. A countable singular thing keeps the basic form.
Kahvi on kuumaa.
The coffee is hot.
Vesi on kylmää.
The water is cold.
Talo on iso. Talot ovat isoja.
The house is big. The houses are big.
Mansikat ovat makeita.
The strawberries are sweet.
7. With some prepositions and postpositions
A few small words take the partitive: ilman (without), ennen (before) and kohti (towards).
ilman maitoa
without milk
ennen joulua
before Christmas
kohti kaupunkia
towards the city
The plural partitive in brief
The plural partitive uses an -i- plus -a/-ä, which often becomes -ja/-jä after a vowel: talo → taloja, auto → autoja, kukka → kukkia, kylä → kyliä, kirja → kirjoja. Some words have two accepted forms, such as omena → omenoita or omenia. There is more in the Finnish plural.
Practise with Maija
The partitive becomes natural through use: ordering food, saying what you don't have, talking about what you are doing. Maija's spoken classes are full of these moments, and when you say kaksi kahvi she corrects it to kaksi kahvia and explains the rule. Take the free level check to find your starting point.
Frequently asked questions
When do you use the partitive in Finnish?+
Mainly after numbers (except one), for unknown amounts of things, in negative sentences, for unfinished actions and with verbs like rakastaa, odottaa and auttaa.
What are the partitive endings?+
-a/-ä after a short vowel (taloa), -ta/-tä after a long vowel, diphthong or consonant (maata, naista) and -tta/-ttä after -e (huonetta).
Why is it kaksi kahvia and not kaksi kahvit?+
After any number except one, Finnish uses the singular partitive: kaksi kahvia, kolme taloa, viisi euroa.
What is the difference between luen kirjaa and luin kirjan?+
Luen kirjaa (partitive) means the reading is ongoing. Luin kirjan (total object) means the book was read to the end.