-ttain/-ttäin

Distributive (-ttain)

Level 5

The distributive suffix -ttain/-ttäin turns nouns into adverbs that describe how things are distributed in time (daily), space (by country), or quantity (by the piece).

How It Works

The distributive suffix is a productive way to create adverbs from nominals. It is most commonly used in four ways:

  • Temporal Distribution: Expresses frequency. For example, päivittäin (daily) or viikoittain (weekly).
  • Spatial/Group Distribution: Expresses how items are categorized or arranged. For example, maittain (by country) or ryhmittäin (in groups).
  • Numerical Distribution: Expresses units or pairs. For example, yksittäin (one by one) or kaksittain (in pairs).
  • Manner/Perspective: Used with nationalities or adjectives to mean 'in the style of' or 'sporadically'. For example, suomalaisittain (in a Finnish way) or paikoittain (in places/sporadically).

Morphology:
1. Find the plural stem (the same stem used for plural local cases).
2. Apply weak grade consonant gradation because the suffix closes the syllable (e.g., viikko → viiko-).
3. Add -ttain if the word has back vowels (a, o, u) or -ttäin if it has front vowels (ä, ö, y) or only neutral vowels (e, i).

Example: kunta (municipality) → plural stem kunti- → weak grade kunni- → kunnittain (by municipality).

Examples (5)

  1. Lääke tulee ottaa päivittäin.

    The medicine should be taken daily.

    Word by Word: Medicine comes to-take daily.

    Päivittäin (daily) is formed from päivä (day) + i + ttain.

  2. Tilastot on lajiteltu maittain.

    The statistics are sorted by country.

    Word by Word: Statistics are sorted country-by-country.

    Maittain (by country) uses the plural stem of maa (mai-).

  3. Ostimme omenoita kappaleittain.

    We bought apples by the piece.

    Word by Word: We-bought apples piece-by-piece.

    Kappaleittain emphasizes that the items were handled individually rather than by weight.

  4. Suomalaisittain tämä on melko tavallista.

    In a Finnish way, this is quite common.

    Word by Word: Finnish-ly this is quite common.

    Here, the suffix expresses a cultural perspective or manner.

  5. Oppilaat saapuivat luokkaan pareittain.

    The students arrived in the classroom in pairs.

    Word by Word: Students arrived classroom-into pair-by-pair.

    Pareittain (in pairs) comes from pari (pair) + i + ttain.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the strong grade instead of the weak grade.

    viikkoittain
    viikoittain

    Because the suffix -ttain/-ttäin starts with a double consonant, it closes the preceding syllable, which triggers the weak grade in consonant gradation.

  • Using the strong grade in words with quantitative gradation.

    ammattittain
    ammateittain

    Words like 'ammatti' must shift to the weak grade ('ammatei-') before adding the suffix.

  • Using the singular stem instead of the plural stem.

    päivättäin
    päivittäin

    The suffix must always attach to the plural 'i' stem, even if the meaning refers to a single unit recurring.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-ttain/-ttäinLevel 5Distributive (-ttain)

Learn This First

To use the distributive suffix -ttain/-ttäin, you need to understand how to form the plural stem of a noun, as the suffix attaches to this stem. You also need to apply Finnish vowel harmony to choose the correct suffix variant and be aware of consonant gradation changes that occur when the stem is modified.

Words in This Pattern

-ttain-ttäin