The abessive
1. Use
The abessive expresses a lack of something. It often corresponds to the English preposition without. The abessive is rarely used in writing and even less in speech. However, it is found in certain commonly used expressions. For example: "joka kuritta kasvaa, se kunniatta kuolee" = "he who grows up without discipline, dies without honor".
2. Formation
The abessive is characterized by the ending -tta/-ttä. You add this ending to the weak stem (put the word in the singular -ssa). For the plural abessive, you use the plural stem (put the word in the plural -ssa). The abessive ending is added directly to these stems.
2.1 General rule: add -tta
| Singular abessive | ||
| Nominative | Abessive | Translation |
| raha | rahatta | without money |
| jalka | jalatta | without a foot |
| varas | varkaatta | without a thief |
| talo | talotta | without a building |
| vene | veneettä | without a boat |
| Plural abessive | ||
| Nominative | Abessive | Translation |
| kissa | kissoitta | without cats |
| jalka | jaloitta | without feet |
| varas | varkaitta | without thieves |
| talo | taloitta | without buildings |
| vene | veneittä | without boats |
3. The third infinitive
The -tta ending can also be added behind verbs in their third infinitive form.
| Infinitive | Abessive | Translation |
| nukkua | nukkumatta | without sleeping |
| tehdä | tekemättä | without doing |
| opiskella | opiskelematta | without studying |
| tavata | tapaamatta | without meeting |
| häiritä | häiritsemättä | without disturbing |
| Related grammar |
|
The genitive :
Plural location cases : The instructive : The comitative |