Nominative Case
Nominative case: basic form, subject, predicate
I can use nominative for subjects and predicates.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Talo on suuri.
The house is big.
Koirat juoksevat puistossa.
The dogs run in the park.
Nämä ovat minun kirjani.
These are my books.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Nominative Case
The nominative is the basic dictionary form of a word. Used for subjects and predicates. Plural: add -t (koira → koirat).
Forgetting plural -t. Using nominative where partitive is needed (after numbers > 1).
Common Error Patterns
Using nominative instead of partitive after numbers
After numbers 2+, use partitive singular: kaksi koiraa, not kaksi koirat.
Talo on suuri.
The house is big.
Talo (nominative) = subject. Suuri (nominative) = predicate adjective.
Koirat juoksevat puistossa.
The dogs run in the park.
Koirat (nominative plural, -t ending) = subject.
Nämä ovat minun kirjani.
These are my books.
Nämä = these (nominative plural demonstrative).
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises