Nouns: Translative Case (into / becoming) — Finnish Grammar

This ending marks a change of state — what something turns into, or what someone is training to be. is a doctor; lääkäriksi is into being one. The ending is -ksi, with a single spelling.

Two everyday uses follow from the same idea of an end point: naming the language something is put into, and naming what something is meant for.

Becoming or Changing Into

The translative names the end state of a change - what something turns into or what someone trains to be.

Hän tuli sairaaksi.
He/she became ill.
Opiskelen lääkäriksi.
I'm studying to become a doctor.

lääkäri- doctor, -ksi the "becoming" ending
beside it lääkäri-nä would mean working as a doctor already — the ending is the whole difference

Sää muuttui kylmäksi.
The weather turned cold.
Vesi jäätyy jääksi.
Water freezes into ice.

"In" a Language

This is the ending used with the name of a language to mean "in Finnish", "in English". It attaches to the language word itself.

Sano se suomeksi.
Say it in Finnish.
Miten tämä on englanniksi?
How is this in English?

For a Purpose or Occasion

The translative also expresses the purpose or the occasion something is meant for.

Sain sen lahjaksi.
I got it as a gift.
Ostin kukkia syntymäpäiväksi.
I bought flowers for the birthday.

Translative vs. Essive

Contrast it with the essive (-na, "as / being"): the translative is the case of change into a state, the essive the case of being in one - (to become a teacher) versus (as a teacher).

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Finnish course

10 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 51. A few of them, with the words “Nouns: Translative Case (into / becoming)” is about in bold:

Tunnen oloni mahtavaksi! En ole sairas. Olen terve.
I feel great! I am not sick. I am healthy.
Lesson 64

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