Of Finnish's 15 cases, a full six answer the questions "where?", "to where?" and "from where?". These are the locative cases, and they're surprisingly logical: two parallel series of three. Let's see how the "internal" cases differ from the "external" ones and when to use each.
The key is three questions: missä? (where), mihin? (to where), mistä? (from where). Each has two cases: an internal one ("in/inside") and an external one ("on/at"). This is part of the 15-case system — see the overview in The Finnish Partitive Case and the object cases.
Two series of three
The internal cases (sisäpaikallissijat) are about being "inside", as in an enclosed space. The external ones (ulkopaikallissijat) are about "on a surface", "at", and also about people and means.
| Question | Internal | External |
|---|---|---|
| where? (missä) | inessive -ssa/-ssä (in) | adessive -lla/-llä (on/at) |
| from where? (mistä) | elative -sta/-stä (from) | ablative -lta/-ltä (off/from) |
| to where? (mihin) | illative -Vn (into) | allative -lle (onto/to) |
The endings attach to the stem of the word, where consonant gradation often applies: pöytä → pöydällä, pankki → pankissa.
Internal cases (in / from / into)
Using the word talo (house):
| Case | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| inessive | talossa | in the house |
| elative | talosta | from the house |
| illative | taloon | into the house |
The elative also means "about": puhun Suomesta — "I talk about Finland". The illative is formed in a few ways: long vowel + n (taloon), -hVn for short words (maa → maahan, työ → työhön), -seen for some (huone → huoneeseen). "In / from / to Finland" = Suomessa / Suomesta / Suomeen.
External cases (on / off / onto)
Using the word pöytä (table; stem pöydä-):
| Case | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| adessive | pöydällä | on the table |
| ablative | pöydältä | off / from the table |
| allative | pöydälle | onto the table |
The external cases have two important "side" jobs:
- Possession: adessive + on = "have". Minulla on aikaa — "I have time".
- People: to/from someone also uses the external cases. Annan sinulle (I give to you), Sain häneltä kirjan (I got a book from him).
- Means: adessive = "by/with". Menen bussilla — "I go by bus".
Internal or external — how to choose
Usually "inside something enclosed" → internal (kaupassa — in the shop, autossa — in the car), "on a surface / in the open" → external (torilla — at the market, kadulla — on the street). But some words are fixed by convention: työssä (at work — internal!), asemalla (at the station — external). Cities split too: Helsingissä (internal) but Tampereella (external). These are simply learned with the word.
How to remember
- Learn in triples: where — to — from (talossa – taloon – talosta), both series at once.
- Keep an anchor in mind: -ss- = inside, -ll- = outside/at.
- Memorise the exception words (työssä, Tampereella) separately — there aren't many.
For fitting this into a full learning path, see How long does it take to learn Finnish?.
FAQ
What are the Finnish locative cases?
Six: the internal inessive (-ssa, in), elative (-sta, from), illative (-Vn, into) and the external adessive (-lla, on/at), ablative (-lta, off/from), allative (-lle, onto/to). They answer "where, to where, from where".
What's the difference between internal and external cases?
Internal (-ss-) is about being "inside": talossa (in the house). External (-ll-) is about "on a surface", "at", plus people and means: pöydällä (on the table), minulla (I have), bussilla (by bus).
How do you say "in, from, to Finland"?
Suomessa (in Finland, inessive), Suomesta (from Finland, elative), Suomeen (to Finland, illative). These are the internal series of cases.
How does Finnish express "to have"?
With the adessive + the verb olla: Minulla on aikaa (I have time), Hänellä on auto (he has a car). Literally "on me / on him there is".
Why is it työssä, not työllä?
Some words are fixed by convention against the "surface logic": työssä (at work) uses the internal case. Such forms (työssä, kaupassa, Helsingissä vs Tampereella) are simply learned with the word.