Part 14

Also in a number of metaphorical expressions. =Olla eksyksissä=, _to be in error_; =olla hyvässä kunnossa=, _to be in good condition_; =olla hyvässä turvassa=, _to be safe_; =olla hyvissä voimissa=, _to be prosperous_. =Te olette oikeassa ja minä olen väärässä=, _you are right and I am wrong_. =Olen ollut pari tuntia kovassa päänkivistyksessä=, _I had a violent headache for a couple of hours_. =Kello on epäjärjestyksessä=, _the watch is out of order_. =Siinä tapauksessa=, _in that case_. =Kaikki on mieli melkeässä, Ajatukset arvoisessa= (Kal. v. 177).

IV. In a number of expressions the inessive is used where the adessive would seem more natural to express close connection between two objects, particularly in the case of one thing being fixed or hung on another. =Kala on ongessa=, _the fish is on the hook_. =Takki on naulassa=, _the coat is hung on the nail_. =Pitäkää hattu päässä=, _keep your hat on your head_. =Hänellä ei ollut saappaita jalassa=, _he had no boots on his feet_.

V. It also expresses the occupation in which one is engaged. =Poika on työssä=, _the boy is at work_. Cf. =Olla pidoissa=, =häissä=, _to be at a banquet_ or _marriage_. Notice such idiomatic phrases as =olla kalassa=, _to be fishing_; =olla heinässä=, _to be making hay_; =olla marjassa=, _to collect berries_. It is noticeable that the verb =käydä=, _to go to_, or _frequent_, is generally followed by the inessive. =Käydä kirkossa=, _to go to church_; =käydä katsomassa=, _to go to sea_.

VI. It is also used to express that an object is covered or soiled with some liquid. =Nenänsä on veressä=, _his nose is bleeding_. =Silmät ovat vesissä=, _the eyes are full of tears_. =Sinun otsas hiessä pitää sinun syömän leipää=, _in the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread_. Cf. also the expression =Järvi on jäässä=, _the lake is frozen_.

VII. It is used to express that certain qualities reside in a man. =Hänessä on jaloutta=, _he is noble_ (_nobility is in him_). =Sinussapajo onkin koko mies=, _you are a man worth the name_. =Ei ole lapsessa heinän niittäjätä=, _a child cannot be a haycutter_. =Teissä on kuume=, _you are feverish_.

_Elative._

As the inessive expresses properly rest in something, so the elative expresses motion from the interior of something. Many of its uses correspond to those of the inessive already described.

I. The strict literal use is to denote motion from an interior. =Mies lähti tuvasta=, _the man went out of the hut_. =Lohi hyppäsi merestä=, _the salmon leapt out of the sea_. =Metsästäjä tuli kotia metsästä=, _the huntsman came home from the forest_. =Kaatakaa olut pullosta lasiin=, _pour the beer out of the bottle into the glass_.

II. In expressing time, the elative is used to denote the beginning of a period—that is to say, the period is regarded as setting forth from a given date. =Pääsiäisestä on seitsemän viikkoa Helluntaihin=, _from Easter to Whitsuntide is seven weeks_. =Eilisestä illasta alkaen=, _since last night_. =Me läksimme matkaan aamusta=, _we set out in the morning_ (beginning from the morning). =En ole nähnyt häntä Joulusta saakka=, _I have not seen him since Christmas_. =Siitä hetkestä=, _from that hour_.

III, IV, V, VI. In all such expressions as those quoted under these headings for the inessive, the elative can be used when cessation _from_ an occupation or condition, or purification _from_ any defilement is to be expressed. =Tulin kotiin tuiskusta ja tuulesta=, _I came home from the snow and wind_. =Kadota silmistä, näkyvistä=, _to disappear from view_. =Päästä pulasta=, _to get out of difficulties_. =Poika oti lakin päästänsä=, _the boy took the cap off his head_. =Pese nenäsi verestä=, _wash the blood off your nose_. =Pyyhi silmäsi kynelistä=, _dry your eyes_. =Järvi lähti jäästä=, _the lake became free of ice_. =Tulla pois työn teosta=, =kalasta=, _to cease working_ or _fishing_.

VII. The elative is also used by a natural transition to express separation or difference from. =Minun on vaikea päästä virasta vapaakai=, _it is hard for me to get away from my work_. =Mies ei saa luopua vaimostansa=, _a man cannot be separated from his wife_. =Lätin kieli on kokonaan eroavainen Suomen kielestä=, _the Lettish language is perfectly different from Finnish_.

Besides these uses, which are parallel with those of the inessive, the elative has a variety of other significations. These mostly arise in a quite intelligible manner, from the idea of motion from, taken in a metaphorical sense.

VIII. In many phrases the elative is used almost like the partitive, that is to say, it denotes one or more persons or things taken or selected from a number. =Nuorin veljistä=, _the youngest of the brothers_. =Urhoollisin sotilaista=, _the bravest of the warriors_. =Laatokka on suurin Europan järvistä=, _Ladoga is the largest lake in Europe_. =Yksi näistä vaimoista=, _one of these women_.

There is, however, a slight difference in the meaning of the elative and partitive in such expressions, inasmuch as the former always implies a certain part of a given quantity which is in the mind of the speaker. Thus one says =kolme sisarta=, _three sisters_, a merely numerical expression. But =kolme sisaristani= means _three of my sisters_. So =naula voita= means _a pound of butter_; but =naula voista=, _a pound of the butter_, referring to a particular kind or mass of butter.

IX. From denoting the starting-point, the elative is used to express the origin or cause of anything, or the material from which a thing is made. =Kuolla myrkystä=, _to die of poison_. =Hän puhisi vihasta=, _he snorted from anger_. =Poika oli kylmästä köntistyneenä=, _the boy was numb with cold_. =Tyhjästä loi Jumala maailman=, _God created the world from Chaos_. =Hänestä tuli kelpo sotilas=, _he made a good soldier_. =Ei lapsesta laulajaksi=, _a child can’t be a singer_ (proverb). =Hän on hyvästä perheestä=, _he is of good family_. =Sanasta sana syntyy, kypenestä maa kytee=, _one word gives birth to another, and the world catches fire from a spark_. =Sormus on tehty kullasta=, _the ring is made of gold_. =Munan kuori on kovasta aineesta=, _the shell of an egg is of a hard substance_. =Venäjän valtio on kokoonpantu monenlaisista kansallisuuksista=, _the Russian empire is composed of many nationalities_.

In this sense it is often used to denote the object, particularly with words denoting speaking or some feeling. For instance, =puhua asiasta=, _to speak of a thing_, the thing being regarded as the point from which a conversation is started. =Kiitoksia kysymästänne=, _thanks for your question_. =Siitä voitte olla varma=, _you may be sure of it_. =Mitä pidätte Suomen kielestä?= _How do you like Finnish?_ =En välitä kenestäkään=, _I don’t care for anybody_. =Älkää surko huomisesta päivästä=, _take no thought for the morrow_.

N.B.—There is a curious use of =minusta= to denote ‘in my opinion, as far as I am concerned.’

X. Somewhat similar is the use of the elative in expressions denoting price. The Finnish idiom is to say =möin kirjan markasta=, _I sold the book for a mark_; =ostin kirjan markasta=, _I bought the book for a mark_; and =sain markan kirjasta=, _I received a mark for the book_. That is to say, ‘I bought a book from a mark,’ the price being regarded as the origin of the transaction. =Mitä tahdotte viikossa tästä huoneesta?= _how much do you want per week for this room?_ =Silmä silmästä ja hammas hampaasta=, _an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth_. =Kauppamies on myönyt tavaransa kalliista=, _the merchant sold his goods dear_.

XI. The elative is used to express the object in which any one is rich or poor. =Rikas rahasta=, _rich in money_, that is to say, money is regarded as the cause of the riches. =Kaivo on tyhjä vedestä=, _the well is empty of water_. =Huoneet olivat täydet väestä=, _the rooms were full of people_.

XII. The elative is also used in a variety of expressions, in which the cause or commencement of an action is emphasized by an idiom different to our own. Thus one says, not to seize by the ear, but from the ear, =pitää korvasta=; =sidottu käsistä ja jaloista=, _bound hand and foot_. =Damokleen miekka riippui hivuskarvasta=, _the sword of Damocles hung by a hair_, and metaphorically, =saada kiini rikoksesta=, _to convict of crime_. =Sanasta miestä, sarvesta härkää= (proverb), _a man is held by his words and an ox by the horns_.

By an idiom of the language verbs denoting to find, or seek, and also often verbs of seeing and hearing, are followed by an elative where we should use an expression implying rest in a place. =Mistä hänen löysit?= _where did you find him?_ =Milloin hyvänsä tuli huoneesen, tapasi hänen aina lukemasta=, _whenever one went into the room, one always found him reading_.

The elative comes to be used much as the accusative of respect in Latin, to mark the part in which anything is affected. =Mies on kipeä silmistänsä=, _the man is ill from his eyes_. =Hän on kömpelö käsistä=, _he is clumsy with his hands_. =Raukea jaloista=, _foot-sore_. =Koivu on tuuhea latvasta=, _the birch has spreading branches at the top_. =Veitsi on terävä kärestä=, _the knife has a sharp edge_.

_Illative._

The original meaning of the illative is motion into the interior of an object, from which it passes into the general sense of motion to. Most of its uses are parallel to those of the inessive and elative. =Mennä kouluun=, =kirkoon=, _to go to school_ or _to church_. =Lähteä Amerikaan=, =Sipiriaan=, _to go a journey to America_, _to Siberia_. =Merimies putosi laivalta veteen=, _the sailor fell from the ship into the water_.

It must, however, be noticed that a good many actions are regarded as implying motion to, in Finnish, which by our idiom are followed by prepositions signifying rest in. Thus one says, =Hevoset seisahtuivat pihaan=, _the horses stopped in the court_. =Sananlennätin tolpat ovat pystytetyt tien viereen=, _the telegraph wires are laid along the road_. =Me perustamme koulun kaupunkiin=, _we founded a school in the town_.

The most singular instance of this is, that the verbs signifying to remain or to leave invariably take this case, or the allative. _To stay at home_ is =jäädä kotiin=, the original meaning of the verb having apparently been to go to a place and stay there. Similarly =jättää=, _to leave behind_, and =unhottaa=, when it is used in the same sense, take the illative. =Jätin hattuni teaatteriin=, _I left my hat in the theatre_. =Unhotin rahakukkaroni kotiin=, _I left my purse at home_.

II. The illative is used in two ways to denote time.

A. It denotes the _end_ towards which a period is regarded as advancing, and can be translated by _until_ or _to_. =Pääsiäisestä on seitsemän viikkoa Helluntaihin=, _it is seven weeks from Easter to Whitsuntide_. =Kuu kiurusta kesään=, _it is a month from the time when the lark sings to summer_ (proverb). =Vieläkö on pitkältä Jouloon?= _is it still long till Christmas?_

In this sense it is often used with the preposition =hamaan=, or the postpositions =asti= and =saakka=. =Tähän päivään saakka=, _up till that day_; =myöhään yöhön saakka=, _till late at night_; =hamaan viimeiseen päivään asti=, _till the day of one’s death_.

B. The illative is also used idiomatically to express the space of time during which anything has _not_ taken place. =En ole nähnyt häntä kahteen vuoteen=, _I have not seen him for two years_. =En ole syönyt kunnolleen kolmeen päivään=, _I have not eaten properly for three days_. =Ei ole ollut näin kaunista syksyä miesmuistiin=, _there has not been such a fine autumn in the memory of man_.

C. It is also used to express the period of time in which an action is performed. =Ansaitsee viisi ruplaa viikkoonsa=, _he earns five roubles a week_. In this use the suffix is nearly always added to the case, but the words =aikaan=, =aikoihin=, and =puoleen= (in compounds), and =seutuun= are used in expressing time loosely. =Siihen aikaan=, _or_ =näihin aikoihin=, _at that time_. =Joulun seutuun=, _about Christmas time_. =Talven puoleen=, _in winter time_.

III, IV, V, VI. Like the inessive and elative, the illative is used in a variety of metaphorical expressions, when entrance into a state or condition is denoted. =Joutua eksyksiin=, _to go into error_, _to go astray_. =Tulla toimeen=, _to get on_, _manage satisfactorily_. =Ei se käy laatuun=, _that is impossible_. =Joutua hukkaan=, _to perish_. =Ajoi hevosen uuvuksiin=, _he rode his horse till it was tired_. So also it is used in speaking:—

(1) Of occupations, which are begun. =Hän meni työhön=, _he went to his work_; and also such expressions as =mennä kalaan=, _to go fishing_; =mennä marjaan=, _to go berry gathering_.

(2) Of the place on which anything is put. =Upseeri pani hattunsa naulaan=, _the officer hung his hat on the peg_. =Vedä sappaat jalkaan=, _to put on one’s boots_.

(3) Of liquids. =Hän löi nenänsä vereen=, _he gave him a bloody nose_. =Järvi meni jäähän=, _the lake froze_.

VII. The illative also expresses the use to which anything is put, or the purposes for which it is capable of being used. The origin of this sense of the case is clearly shown by the derivation of the verb to use, =käyttää=, which is the causal form of =käydä=, _to go_, and means _to make a thing go in a certain direction_. =Hän käytti rahansa hyviin tarkoituksiin=, _he employed his money for good purposes_. =Tuhlasi aikansa turhuuteen=, _he wasted his time_. So also =Hän sopii kaikkeen=, _he can do everything_. =Lappalaiset ovat kykenemättämiä sotapalvelukseen=, _the Laps are not fitted for military service_. =Mustalainen ei pysty työhön=, _a gipsy is not a good worker_. =Hän on valmis kaikkeen hulluuteen=, _he is ready for any folly_.

VIII. Somewhat similar is the use of the illative to express the object or desired goal of an action. =Isä kehoittaa poikaa ahkeruuteen=, _the father exhorts the boy to be diligent_. Similarly =kehoitta iloon=, etc. =Kasvattakaa lapsenne Jumalan pelkoon ja hyviin tapoihin=, _bring up your children to fear God and behave properly_. =Minä neuvoin ystävääni kärvällisyyteen=, =malttavaisuuteen=, _I advised my friend to be patient_, or _prudent_. =Kenraali innostutti sotamiehet urhouteen=, _the general exhorted his soldiers to bravery_.

IX. The illative is further used with verbs expressing feeling, chiefly those formed with =u= or =y=, the idea being apparently that the feeling passes from the subject to the object. For instance, =olla rakastunut johonkin=, _to be in love with some one_. Cf. the Russian idiom =онъ въ нее влюбленъ=. =Olen kyllästynyt näihin riitoihin=, _I am weary of these quarrels_. =Siihen voitte luottaa=, _you may be sure of this_. =Hän ei mielistynyt heidän neuvoonsa ja tekoonsa=, _he was not pleased with their advice and doings_. =Tyydytkö siihen?= _are you satisfied with this?_

X. There is a curious idiom by which in certain phrases the illative seems to be used to express the agent or cause of an action. =Kuolla nälkään=, _to die of hunger_; =kuolla veteen=, _to be drowned_. =Nukkui nuoret, nukkui vanhat Wäinämöisen soitantohon=, _old and young were thrown into sleep by the songs of Wäinämöinen_. =Murehisin murtumatta=, =huolihin katoamatta= (Kal. v. 216-7).

The idea in these phrases seems to be that the subject of the verb passes _into the power_ of whatever is denoted by the illative.

XI. The illative is also used to express likeness. This is quite natural with such a verb as =verrata=, _to compare_. E.g. =Verrattuna meihin, on hän onnellinen=, _compared to us, he is happy_. The verb =vivahtaa=, _to be like_, also takes this case: =vivahtaa veljeensä=, _he is like his brother_; but the original meaning of the word is apparently physical motion, to glance quickly by or into. By a similar idiom the verb =tulla=, _to come_, with the illative means to resemble. =Hän tulee isäänsä=, _he is like his father_. The use of the simple verb =olla=, _to be_, with this case to express likeness is however truly singular, and is apparently to be explained only by analogy. =Lapsi on isäänsä=, _the child is like its father_. It is, however, exactly parallel to the Russian expression =онъ въ отца, въ мать=. Cf. =Vesa kasvaa kantohonsa=, _the young sprout grows like the parent stem_ (proverb).

XI. The illative expresses the limit which a number reaches. =Luku nousi kahteen-sataan=, _the number reached two hundred_. =Siellä oli lapsia viiteenkymmeneen=, _there were as many as fifty children_.

From this use the illative is also used to denote price. =Myydä halpaan hintaan=, _to sell cheap_; =myydä kalliisen hintaan=, _to sell dear_. =Tässä on omenoita kymmeneen kopekkaan=, _here are apples for ten copecks_.

THE EXTERNAL CASES—ADESSIVE, ABLATIVE, AND ALLATIVE.

The external cases correspond in their general significance and employment to the internal cases already described, only while these latter denote rest within and motion to or from the interior of an object, the former in their strict meaning imply rest on and motion to or from the surface of an object. But as may be seen by the examples this distinction is not always very strictly observed. The external cases have a tendency to denote animate objects.

_Adessive._

I. The adessive primarily denotes the place on which an action takes place. =Poika istuu lattialla=, _the boy sits on the floor_. =Tuskin voin olla jaloillani=, _I can hardly stand on my legs_. =Hän asuu tällä kadulla=, _he lives in this street_. =Millä paikoilla?= _whereabouts?_ =Saksan maalla kasvaa hyviä viinirypäleitä=, _in Germany good grapes grow_. =Kivet laikkui lainehilla, Somerot vesillä souti= (Kal. xliv. 261, 2).

II. The adessive is also used to mark time, when the period is not definitely specified by a cardinal number or otherwise. =Päivällä=, _in the day_, _by day_; =yöllä=, _by night_; =keväällä=, _in spring_; =kesällä=, _in summer_; =syksyllä=, _in autumn_; =talvella=, _in winter_; (but =viime kesänä=, _last spring_, because the time is determined by the adjective).

=Kalat tärpäävät kesällä=, _fish bite in spring_. =Aamulla ani varahin=, _very early in the morning_ (Kal. iv. 303). =Kysyi työtä iltaisella=, _he asked for the work in the evening_ (Kal. xxxii. 6).

III. Like the inessive the adessive is used in a loose or metaphorical sense to denote the external circumstances under which anything takes place. Thus it is used of the weather. =Kuivalla säällä=, _in dry weather_; =tuulella=, _in windy weather_. =Minä palasin kotiin sateella=, _I returned home in the rain_. =Joka tyynellä makaa, se tuulella soutaa= (proverb), _he who sleeps in a calm, rows in a wind_.

=Olla hereellä= _or_ =valveella=, _to be awake_. =On tulolla sade=, _it is going to rain_. =Olen menolla=, _I am going_.

And in some cases where according to our ideas the circumstances denoted are distinctly internal, e.g. =olla hyvällä tai pahalla mielellä=, _to be in a good or bad humour_. =Olla hyvällä päällä=, _to feel courageous_. Cf. Kal. xliv. 269, 270. =Nuoret naiset naurusuulla, Emännät ilolla mielin.=

In particular it is thus used with verbal nouns to express that an action is being undertaken. =Kirjan käännös on tekeellä= (_or_ =tekeilla=), _the translation of the book is being made_. =Kangas on kuteella=, _the cloth is being woven_.

IV. By a closely analogous use the adessive signifies the occupation in which any one is engaged (cf. the use of the inessive in this sense). =Olla ongella=, =nuotalla=, _to be engaged in fishing with a hook_ or _net_.

This use is particularly frequent in the case of games or meals. =Olla päivällisellä=, _to be at dinner_; =olla aamiaisella=, _to be at breakfast_; =olla koppisilla=, _to be playing ball_. =Lapset ovat piiloisilla=, _the children are playing hide and seek_.

V. The adessive is also used to signify with, near, or in the house of (French _chez_). =Poika on meillä=, _le garçon est chez nous_. =Hänellä on vieraita=, _he has guests staying with him_. =Vietin kolme päivää eräällä ruotsalaisella herralla maalla=, _I spent three days with a Swedish gentleman in the country_.

From an extension of this use it comes to denote possession, and in combination with the =olla= replaces the verb _to have_, which does not exist in Finnish. =Minulla on kirja=, _I have a book_. =Hänellä on luunkolotus=, _he has the rheumatism_. =Mikä este sinulla oli?= _what hindered you?_

In this idiom the verb is always in the third person sing., even though the substantive is in the nominative plur. =Isällä on harmaat hiukset=, _the father has white hair_. =Onko teillä saksia?= _have you a pair of scissors?_ =Hevonen on rengillä=, _the man has the horse_. =Hyvällä on nimiä paljo, pahalla tapoja paljo=, _good has many names and evil many shapes_. =Jumalalla on onnen ohjat, Luojalla lykyn avaimet= (proverb), _God has the reins of fortune, the Creator has the keys of luck_. Cf. Kal. xliii. 337. =Jumalall’ on ilman wiitta, Luojalla avaimet onnen.=

VI. It also denotes the price at which a thing is bought or sold. =Minä ostin kirjan kahdella markalla=, _I bought a book for two marks_. =Kauppamies möi kaikki tavaransa suurella voitolla=, _the merchant sold all his goods at a great profit_. =Ostin matot huokeammalla (hinnalla), kuin niiden arvo on=, _I bought these carpets for less than they are worth_.

VII. Besides these various significations which can be deduced from the primary meaning of rest on, the adessive has quite another use, viz. as an instrumental to denote the means or the object by which an action is accomplished. It would seem that two originally distinct forms have been confused in the case as it at present exists in Finnish, though it might be possible to derive this instrumental meaning from the metaphorical uses quoted under III. =Näin sen omilla silmilläni=, _I saw it with my own eyes_. =Oillä päivät jatketaan, virsillä vähät oluet= (proverb), _the days are lengthened by the nights, and a little beer goes further if one sings_. =Elä koukulla kohenna, kärryksellä käännyttele= (Kal. xxiii. 401-2)—=Kansalla karhukin kaadetaan= (proverb).

VIII. From this use is derived another, signifying the way in which anything is done. =Ilolla=, _joyfully_. =Monella tavalla=, _in many ways_; =ei millään tavalla=, _in no way at all_. =Sen teen mielelläni=, _I do it with pleasure_.

_Ablative._

I. The ablative expresses motion from the surface of anything. =Lapsi putosi pöydältä=, _the child fell from the table_. =Ei köyhä korkealta kaadu, luudan päältä lattialle=, _the poor cannot have a great fall: only as high as a besom from the floor_ (proverb). =Korkealta kakko lenti ... Allit aalloilta syviltä, Joutsenet sulilta soilta=, _the eagle flew from high, the wild duck from the deep waves, the swans from the watery marshes_.

II. It is also used in various expressions denoting time.

A. In such sentences as ‘year after year,’ ‘day after day.’ In Finnish the first word is put in the nominative and the second in the ablative. =Päivä päivältä hän tulee kipeämmäksi=, _day by day he gets worse_. =Myrsky kiihtyy hetki hetkeltä=, _the storm grows stronger every hour_. =Odotan häntä tunti tunnilta=, _I expect him every hour_.

B. In sentences expressing money earned in a given time. =Hän saa kaksituhatta markkaa vuodelta=, _he receives two thousand marks a year_. =Maksavat rengille viisitoista ruplaa kuukaudelta=, _the servant is paid fifteen roubles a month_.

C. The time from which anything begins. =Kaupunki on viima vuosisadalta=, _the house dates from the last century_. =Niinkuin asetus tammikuun viidenneltä päivältä määrää=, _according to the provisions of the decree of January 5_.

Similarly—=Kello kuudelta aamulla nousin työtä tekemään=, _I begin to work at_ (that is, _beginning from_) _six o’clock in the morning_. =Tulee pimeä jo kello neljältä=, _it gets dark at four o’clock_.