Essive case
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The essive or similaris case carries the meaning of a temporary state of being, often equivalent to the English "as a...".
In the Finnish language, this case is marked by adding "-na/-nä" to the stem of the noun. Example: "lapsi" -> "child", "lapsena" -> "as a child", "when (I) was a child".
This case also exists in Russian, where it appears as the instrumental case. For example, "Я работаю переводчиком" (Ya rabotayu perevodchikom) means "I work as a translator" (contrast this with "я - переводчик" (Ya - perevodchik), which means "I'm a translator").
- (Logically speaking, the profession is the mean by which one does his or her job, hence the reason it is deployed in the instrumental case.)
In Finnish, it is also used for specifying times, days and dates when something happens. For example: "maanantaina" -> "on Monday", "kuudentena joulukuuta" -> "on the 6th of December". Some expressions use the essive in the ancient locative meaning, e.g. "at home" is "kotona". Observe the similarity to English "at home/in my home":
- Luen lehtiä kotona. "I read newspapers at home." If you use the inessive, kodissani, you contrast to reading them in the garage (a physical location) instead.
- Kodissani tehdään remonttia. "In my home, a renovation is underway."de:Essiv
es:Caso esivo fr:Essif it:Essivo nn:Essiv fi:Essiivi sv:Essiv
