ilman / ennen

Prepositions Ilman and Ennen

Level 2

ilman = without
ennen = before
Both words are placed before the noun, which must be in the partitive case.

How It Works

In Finnish, the vast majority of spatial and temporal relationships are expressed through postpositions. However, ilman and ennen are notable exceptions.

1. ilman (without)
This preposition indicates the absence of something. It has largely replaced the more formal abessive case in modern speech.

  • ilman sokeria (without sugar)
  • ilman minua (without me)

2. ennen (before)
This is used for time (before 8:00) or sequence (A comes before B). Do not confuse it with edessä, which means 'in front of' physically.

  • ennen joulua (before Christmas)
  • ennen häntä (before him/her)

3. Important Rules

  • Case: Always use the partitive.
  • Pronouns: Unlike postpositions, these do not take possessive suffixes. You simply use the partitive form of the pronoun.
  • Position: They usually come before the noun. While ennen can sometimes follow the noun (e.g., joulua ennen), ilman almost never does.
  • Verbs: Note that ilman is only for nouns. To say 'without doing' something, use the third infinitive -matta (e.g., syömättä - without eating) without adding the word ilman.

Examples (5)

  1. En voi elää ilman sinua.

    I cannot live without you.

    Word by Word: Not I can live without you.

    The preposition 'ilman' comes before the partitive pronoun 'sinua'.

  2. Juon kahvin ilman sokeria.

    I drink coffee without sugar.

    Word by Word: I drink coffee without sugar.

    'Sokeria' is the partitive form of 'sokeri'.

  3. Meidän täytyy ehtiä kotiin ennen sadetta.

    We must make it home before the rain.

    Word by Word: Our must reach home before rain.

    'Ennen' indicates time/event and takes the partitive 'sadetta'.

  4. Hän oli jonossa ennen minua.

    He was in the queue before me.

    Word by Word: He was in queue before me.

    Here 'ennen' indicates ordinal position (sequence) rather than just time.

  5. Tulkaa sisään ennen kello kahdeksaa.

    Come inside before eight o'clock.

    Word by Word: Come inside before clock eight.

    Numbers also take the partitive after 'ennen'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the genitive case instead of the partitive.

    ennen joulun
    ennen joulua

    Most Finnish adpositions take the genitive, but 'ennen' and 'ilman' are exceptions that require the partitive.

  • Adding a possessive suffix to the pronoun.

    ilman sinuasi
    ilman sinua

    Prepositions that govern the partitive case do not use possessive suffixes on pronouns.

  • Using 'ilman' with a verb form.

    ilman syömättä
    syömättä

    Do not combine 'ilman' with the -matta form. To say 'without eating', use the third infinitive -matta alone ('syömättä'), or 'ilman' with the noun form 'syömistä'.

How It Connects

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

ilman / ennenLevel 2Prepositions Ilman and Ennen

Learn This First

To use 'ilman' and 'ennen', you must first understand how to form the partitive case, as these are among the few Finnish prepositions that govern this specific case.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

ilmanennen