-t (monikon nominatiivi)

Nominative Plural (-t)

Level 1

The Nominative Plural (ending in -t) is used for specific, definite plural subjects and 'total' (completed) plural objects.

How It Works

The nominative plural is the 'basic' plural form in Finnish. It serves two main roles:

  • Definite Subjects: When you talk about a specific group (e.g., 'The books are here').
  • Total Objects: When an action is completed on a whole group of things (e.g., 'I bought the books').

How to form it:
1. Start with the word's inflectional stem.
2. Add the suffix -t. This ending closes the syllable, which triggers gradation.
3. For most common nouns (Type A), this results in the weak grade (e.g., pankki → pankit).
4. For words that use inverse gradation (Type B), such as those ending in -e or -as, the plural form will actually use the strong grade (e.g., osoite → osoitteet).

Common Stem Changes:

  • Words ending in -nen: Change to -se- (nainen → naiset).
  • Words ending in -e: Use the long vowel stem (huone → huoneet).
  • Words ending in -s: Often change to -kse- (vastaus → vastaukset).

Note: In spoken Finnish, the verb often stays in the singular even if the subject is plural (e.g., Autot on instead of Autot ovat).

Examples (5)

  1. Kirjat ovat hyllyssä.

    The books are on the shelf.

    Word by Word: Books are shelf-in.

    Here 'kirjat' is a definite plural subject. Notice the plural verb 'ovat'.

  2. Tytöt juoksevat kotiin.

    The girls are running home.

    Word by Word: Girls run home-into.

    A plural subject requires the verb to have the plural ending -vat.

  3. Söin omenat.

    I ate the apples.

    Word by Word: I-ate apples.

    The -t ending here indicates a 'total object'—meaning I ate all of the specific apples mentioned.

  4. Kukat ovat kauniita.

    The flowers are beautiful.

    Word by Word: Flowers are beautiful.

    The word 'kukka' (flower) undergoes consonant gradation (kk -> k) before adding -t.

  5. Nuo talot ovat uusia.

    Those houses are new.

    Word by Word: Those houses are new.

    Demonstrative pronouns like 'nuo' (those) must also be in the plural to match the noun.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the -t plural after numbers.

    kaksi koirat
    kaksi koiraa

    In Finnish, numbers (except 'yksi') require the partitive singular, not the nominative plural.

  • Forgetting consonant gradation.

    pankkit
    pankit

    The -t ending closes the syllable, which triggers the weak grade (kk -> k).

  • Pihalla on lapset is fine, but it means "the (known) children are in the yard".

    Different MeaningPihalla on lapset.
    Pihalla on lapsia.

    If you are saying 'There are (some) children in the yard,' you must use the partitive plural. The -t plural implies 'The (specific) children are in the yard.'

How It Connects

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-t (monikon nominatiivi)Level 1Nominative Plural (-t)

Learn This First

To form the nominative plural, you need to know the basic nominative form and how to apply consonant gradation, as the -t ending creates a closed syllable that often triggers a change in the stem. Additionally, knowing the verb 'olla' is necessary to form complete sentences with plural subjects.

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-t