-ja/-jä, -ita/-itä

Plural Partitive

Level 2

The plural partitive (-ja/-jä or -ita/-itä) is used when you are talking about 'some' things, an unspecified number of items, or when a sentence is negative.

How It Works

The plural partitive is one of the most common cases in Finnish. It is used in several specific contexts:

  • Indefinite Quantity: When you have 'some' of something but not all (e.g., 'I bought books').
  • Existential Sentences: When stating that things exist somewhere (e.g., 'There are cars on the street').
  • Negation: If a plural object is negated, it must be in the partitive. Negated plural subjects only take the partitive in existential or possessive sentences (e.g., 'Pöydällä ei ole kirjoja' - There are no books on the table). In standard sentences, negated plural subjects remain in the nominative (e.g., 'Koirat eivät hauku' - The dogs don't bark).
  • After 'Paljon': The word paljon (a lot) requires the plural partitive for countable nouns. Note that monta (many) takes the singular partitive.

Formation Rules:
1. -ja / -jä: Used for 2-syllable words ending in -o, -u, -y, -ö (talo → taloja). For 2-syllable words ending in -a, the vowel changes to -o- if the first syllable has a, e, or i (e.g., kala → kaloja). New loan words ending in -i change the final vowel to -e- and take this ending (lasi → laseja).
2. -a / -ä added to an -i- stem: Used for many 2-syllable words where the final vowel changes to -i- and then takes -a/-ä. For example, words ending in -ä (päivä → päiviä) or words ending in -a where the first syllable has o or u (koira → koiria). It is also used for old Finnish words ending in -i (lapsi → lapsia), words ending in -nen where the stem changes to -is- (nainen → naisia), words ending in -us / -ys where the stem changes to -uksi- / -yksi- (kysymys → kysymyksiä), and 3-syllable words ending in -ja/-jä (kääntäjä → kääntäjiä).
3. -ita / -itä: Used for words ending in two vowels (one of the final vowels is dropped before adding the ending, e.g., maa → maita), nouns of the huone : huoneen class (huone → huoneita), and many 3+ syllable words (for those ending in -a/-ä, the final vowel changes to -o-/-ö- before adding the ending, e.g., peruna → perunoita). Contracted stems ending in a consonant (like -as/-äs, -is) drop their final consonant and take this ending (vieras → vieraita, kaunis → kauniita). Words ending in the diphthongs -ie, -uo, -yö drop the first vowel before adding this ending (tie → teitä, työ → töitä).

Important Notes:
- Many common plural partitives use the strong grade. Some stem classes allow weak-grade -ita/-itä forms, including 3-syllable words ending in -kka/-kkä or -kko/-kkö (e.g., mansikka → mansikoita).
- Longer words (3+ syllables) often have multiple valid plural partitive forms (e.g., omena → omenoita, omenia, omenoja).

Numbers and Modifiers
After an ordinary nominative cardinal numeral greater than one, a count noun is singular partitive: kaksi kirjaa, not kaksi kirjoja. In a plural partitive noun phrase, inflect the adjective too: isoja kirjoja, uusia opiskelijoita. The endings need not look identical. Compare a common gradating noun: kaupat has weak p, whereas kauppoja has strong pp. This reflects the inflectional pattern historically associated with closed versus open syllables; inverse-gradating nouns behave differently, as in saappaat : saappaita. Do not apply a blanket weak-grade rule to every nominative plural.

Examples (5)

  1. Pöydällä on kirjoja.

    There are (some) books on the table.

    Word by Word: Table-on is books.

    This is an existential sentence where the subject 'kirjoja' is in the plural partitive because the amount is indefinite.

  2. Meillä on paljon uusia opiskelijoita.

    We have a lot of new students.

    Word by Word: At-us is much new students.

    The word 'paljon' triggers the plural partitive. 'Opiskelijoita' uses the -ita ending because it is a polysyllabic word.

  3. En osta noita taloja.

    I am not buying those houses.

    Word by Word: Not-I buy those houses.

    In a negative sentence, the object must be in the partitive case.

  4. Kadulla on autoja.

    There are cars on the street.

    Word by Word: Street-on is cars.

    The word 'autoja' uses the -ja ending because 'auto' is a 2-syllable word ending in -o.

  5. Hän lukee lehtiä.

    He/she is reading magazines.

    Word by Word: He/she reads magazines.

    The plural partitive is used here because the action is ongoing (atelic).

Common Mistakes

  • Combining the strong stem with the wrong partitive ending.

    Ostin mansikkoita.
    Ostin mansikoita.

    Mansikoita uses weak k before -ita. Another accepted form is mansikkoja, with strong kk before -ja. The ending and stem grade must belong to the same inflectional pattern.

  • Using the plural partitive after the word 'monta'.

    Minulla on monta kirjoja.
    Minulla on monta kirjaa.

    While paljon (a lot) takes the plural partitive, the word monta (many) always takes the singular partitive.

  • Confusing the partitive plural with the nominative plural.

    Söin omenat. (intended: some apples, not the complete set)
    Söin omenoita.

    If you say 'Söin omenat', it means you ate ALL the specific apples. If you ate 'some' apples, you must use the partitive 'omenoita'.

How It Connects

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

-ja/-jä, -ita/-itäLevel 2Plural Partitive

Learn This First

To understand the plural partitive, you first need to be familiar with the basic partitive case and how Finnish handles vowel harmony. Additionally, knowledge of how nouns form their plural stems is essential, as the plural partitive markers (-ja/-jä and -ita/-itä) are attached to these stems.

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Patterns that build on this one.