Koira-words in the plural partitive

This article combines two important bits of information related to the plural partitive case. Firstly, it lists words that inflect the same way as the word koira, ie. words of two syllables where the final -a gets replaced with -ia. These are often called koira-words in language courses. Secondly, these words have been listed in example sentences that showcase the situations in which you normally use the partitive plural.

Table of contents

What are koira-words?
The partitive plural in negative sentences
The partitive plural with partitive verbs
The partitive plural with prepositions
The partitive plural in complement sentences
The partitive plural in simple object sentences
The partitive plural in existential sentences

1. What are koira-words?

I call these words koira-words because it helps learners remember the type. In addition to koira-words there are also kissa-words, which inflect differently. Using the easy to remember contrast between cats and dogs has helped many students. If you take a look at the word types on KOTUS, this is type number 10-.

Koira-words consist of two syllables, which contain o or u in the first syllable, and have an -a at the end of the word. In other words, you could see them as o…a (koira, sota, homma) or u…a (lupa, summa, hurja).

2. The partitive plural in negative sentences

Object sentences usually have the object inflected in the plural partitive when the sentence is made negative. This is true for both singular and plural objects: the positive sentence “Ostan poran” becomes “En osta poraa” (using the singular partitive case) and the positive sentence “Ostan porat” becomes “En osta poria” (using the plural partitive case).

Finnish	English	Example	English
homma	job	En ole ennen tehnyt näitä hommia.	I haven’t done these jobs before.
kuva	picture	Ari ei ottanut näitä kuvia.	Ari didn’t take these pictures.
musta	black	Minulla ei ole mustia T-paitoja.	I don’t have black T-shirts.
oma	own	En halua vielä omia lapsia.	I don’t want children of my own yet.
osa	part	En osaa yhdistellä näitä osia toisiinsa.	I don’t know how to combine these parts.
pula	shortage	En jaksa näitä rahapulia.	I can’t stand these money shortages.
puuha	activity	En ymmärrä Arin puuhia.	I don’t understand Ari’s undertakings.
puuska	gust	Puut eivät kestä näin kovia puuskia.	Trees cannot withstand such severe gusts.
rupla	ruble	Forex ei enää osta Venäjän ruplia.	Forex no longer buys Russian rubles.
surma	killing	Surmia ei voitu ennakoida.	The killings could not have been foreseen.
tuhma	naughty	Kukaan ei rakasta tuhmia lapsia.	Nobody loves naughty children.
tuima	stern, grim	En kestä äitini tuimia katseita.	I can’t stand my mother’s stern gazes.
tuuba	tuba	Nämä valmistajat eivät tee tuubia.	These manufacturers don’t produce tubas.
ultra	ultrasound	Tässä neuvolassa ei tehdä ultria.	This clinic doesn’t do ultrasounds.
vuokra	rent	He eivät koskaan maksa vuokriaan.	They never pay their rents.

3. The partitive plural with partitive verbs

Partitive verbs contain an object which always (or often) appears in the partitive case. When the object is plural, you will use the plural partitive.

Finnish	English	Example	English
burka	burqa	Naiset käyttävät burkia tai niqabeja.	The women use burqas or niqabs.
doula	doula	Synnytyslääkäri kouluttaa doulia.	The obstetrician trains doulas.
flunssa	flu	C-vitamiini estää flunssia.	Vitamin C prevents common cold outbreaks.
fuuga	fugue	Kuuntele ihania sonaatteja ja fuugia!	Listen to wonderful sonatas and fugues!
huiska	pom-pom	Cheerleaderit heiluttavat huiskiaan.	The cheerleaders wave their pom-poms.
kobra	cobra	Ärsytitkö noita kobria?	Did you annoy those cobras?
kotka	eagle	Pelkään kotkia ja hanhia.	I’m afraid of eagles and geese.
kuuma	hot	Varo kuumia pintoja!	Beware of hot surfaces!
loma	vacation	Kadehdin opettajien pitkiä lomia.	I envy teachers’ long vacations.
luja	firm, strong	Arvostan lujia perhesiteitä.	I value strong family ties.
nuha	cold	Lapset sairastavat lieviä nuhia.	Children suffer from mild colds.
nuija	club, mallet	He käyttivät nuijia aseinaan.	They used clubs as their weapons.
oksa	branch	Tuuli liikuttelee oksia.	The wind moves the branches.
proffa	professor	Kuuntelen proffiani mielelläni.	I like to listen to my professors (colloquial).
pulma	puzzle	Ari rakastaa pulmia ja arvoituksia.	Ari loves puzzles and riddles.
rouva	lady	Pidät meitä vanhoja rouvia tyhminä.	You think us old ladies stupid.
ruoska	whip	Ruoskia käytettiin ohjaamaan hevosia.	Whips were used to guide horses.
soija	soy	Kannattaa kokeilla erilaisia soijia.	It is worth trying different soys.
sorja	slender	Sukkahousut verhoavat sorjia sääriä.	The tights cover slender legs.
struuma	goiter	Jodi auttaa ehkäisemään struumia.	Iodine helps prevent goiters.
summa	sum	Nyt hamstrataan isoja summia käteistä.	Large sums of cash are being hoarded now.
suura	surah	Uskovaiset tulivat kuuntelemaan suuria.	The believers came to listen to the surahs.
tooga	toga	Muinaiset roomalaiset käyttivät toogia.	The ancient Romans used togas.
tuuma	inch	Vertailutaulukossa käytetään tuumia.	Inches are used in the comparison table.
voima	strength	Toivon teille voimia.	I wish you strength.

4. The partitive plural with prepositions

Finnish has a fairly small amount of prepositions, which require the word connected to them to appear in the partitive case. More common are postpositions, which come with the genitive case. As you can see from the examples below, this list also contains some prepositions that have the same word order as postpositions, yet still require the partitive case.

Finnish	English	Example	English
juhla	party	Join jo ennen juhlia oluen.	I already drank a beer before the party.
koira	dog	Elämä ilman koiria tuntuu tyhjältä.	Life without dogs feels empty.
korva	ear	Ilman korvia et voi kuulla mitään.	Without ears you can’t hear anything.
luola	cave	Leijonat seisovat lähellä luolia.	The lions are standing close to the caves.
murha	murder	Ostin aseen päivää ennen murhia.	I bought a gun a day before the murders.
mutka	bend	Asenna poistovesiletku ilman mutkia.	Install the drain hose without bends.
ohja	rein	Olen tottunut ratsastamaan ilman ohjia.	I’m used to riding without reins.
ruuhka	traffic jam	Kävin ennen ruuhkia kaupassa.	I went to the store before the traffic jams.
sola	pass	He saapuivat Alppien solia pitkin.	They arrived along the Alpine passes.
sorsa	duck	Olin liian lähellä sorsia.	I was too close to the ducks.
sota	war	Kaikki oli paremmin ennen sotia.	Everything was better before the wars.
suora	straight	Hermostun ennen suoria lähetyksiä.	I get nervous before live broadcasts.
tulva	flood	Sato korjattiin ennen tulvia.	The crop was harvested before the floods.
tumma	dark	Ostin banaaneja ilman tummia läiskiä.	I bought bananas without dark spots.
turha	useless	Teemme työtä ilman turhia palavereita.	We work without unnecessary meetings.
ura	groove	He ajavat samoja uria pitkin.	They drive along the same tracks.

5. The partitive plural in complement sentences

Complement sentences (the Finnish term is predikatiivilause) consist of a subject, the verb olla and a descriptive word. In this sentence type, the most common ending for plural complements is the plural partitive. When making the sentence “Nainen on orja” plural, it becomes “Naiset ovat orjia“, using the plural partitive.

Finnish	English	Example	English
dorka	dork	Te molemmat olette dorkia.	You’re both dorks (colloquial).
hurja	fierce	Suomalaiset ovat hurjia.	Finns are fierce.
julma	cruel	He ovat julmia ja armottomia.	They are cruel and merciless.
konna	villain	Ovatko he konnia vai sankareita?	Are they villains or heroes?
kova	hard	Jotkut puulajit ovat kovia.	Some types of wood are hard.
kuha	zander	Nämä kalat ovat kuhia.	These fish are zanders.
kuiva	dry	Nämä pyyhkeet ovat kuivia.	These towels are dry.
luoja	creator	Ihmiset ovat taiteen luojia.	Humans are the creators of art.
luova	creative	Nykytaiteilijat ovat hyvin luovia.	Contemporary artists are very creative.
nunna	nun	Miehet eivät voineet olla nunnia.	Men couldn’t be nuns.
nuuka	stingy	He olivat nuukia lämmityksen kanssa.	They were skimpy with the heating.
oiva	splendid	Nämä ovat oivia esimerkkejä.	These are splendid examples.
orja	slave	Olemme sosiaalisen median orjia.	We are slaves to social media.
pulska	chubby	Vauvat saavat olla pulskia.	Babies are allowed to be chubby.
ruma	ugly	Miksi nämä lapset ovat niin rumia?	Why are these children so ugly?
ruuna	gelding	Molemmat hevoset olivat ruunia.	Both horses were geldings.
soma	cute	Tytöt ovat somia pitkissä mekoissaan.	The girls are cute in their long dresses.
sora	gravel	Kerrostumat ovat usein karkeita soria.	The deposits are often rough gravels.
sorsa	duck	Nämä linnut ovat sorsia.	These birds are ducks.
sula	molten	Joet ovat osin sulia.	The rivers are partially molten.

6. The partitive plural in simple object sentences

These sentences have an object, which refers to a plural amount without specifying exactly how many (“multiple” or “several”). These verbs are not partitive verbs, ie. they don’t require the partitive in every situation. Rather, the partitive plural is used due to the unspecified plural amount of the object.

Finnish	English	Example	English
kulma	angle, corner	Osaatko piirtää suoria kulmia?	Can you draw right angles?
kuorma	load	Kuljeta raskaita kuormia varovasti!	Transport heavy loads carefully!
kurja	wretched	Sain kurjia uutisia esihenkilöltäni.	I got bad news from my boss.
muna	egg	Ostaisitko Lidl:stä kananmunia?	Could you buy eggs from Lidl?
oja	ditch	Kaivinkone kaivaa syviä ojia.	The excavator digs deep ditches.
otsa	forehead	Huomasin hikisiä otsia kuntosalissa.	I noticed sweaty foreheads in the gym.
pohja	bottom	Maustan kakkupohjia kanelilla.	I flavor cake bases with cinnamon.
pulla	bun	Leivoimme lasten kanssa pullia.	We baked bread buns with the kids.
puska	bush	Aion istuttaa puskia tai pensaita tähän.	I will plant bushes or shrubs here.
roina	junk	Haluan myydä noita turhia roinia.	I want to sell some of that useless junk.
roska	trash	Rotat levittävät roskia ympäri pihaa.	Rats spread debris around the yard.
rulla	roll	Osta noita värikkäitä teippirullia!	Buy those colorful tape rolls!
ruuma	hold	Merimiehet täyttävät laivojen ruumia.	Sailors fill the holds of ships.
sohva	couch	Myydäänkö täällä valkoisia sohvia?	Do they sell white couches here?
stoola	stole	Nainen ompelee turkkeja ja stoolia.	The woman sews furs and stoles.
suoja	protection	Tarvitsemme sateensuojia veneisiin.	We need rain shelters for boats.
tutka	radar	Armeija ostaa tutkia ja tykkejä.	The army buys radars and cannons.
tuurna	mandrel	Laatikko sisältää vasaroita ja tuurnia.	The box contains hammers and mandrels.
uoma	channel	Vesi synnytti saveen syviä uomia.	The water created deep furrows in the clay.
votka	vodka	Täällä myydään erilaisia votkia.	Various vodkas are sold here.
vodka	vodka	Myymme viinejä, vodkia ja liköörejä.	We sell wines, vodkas and liqueurs.

7. The partitive plural in existential sentences

Existential sentences refer to the existence of multiple things in a place (either concrete or abstract). The amount of things is not specified. These sentences start with a location case (e.g. -ssa, -lla, -lta).

Finnish	English	Example	English
horsma	willowherb	Raunioilla kasvoi kukkivia horsmia.	In the ruins grew flowering willowherbs.
huima	dizzying	Hinnoissa on huimia eroja.	There are huge differences in the prices.
juna	train	Rautatieasemalla on junia.	There are trains at the train station.
juova	streak	Pinnassa ei saa olla juovia.	There must be no streaks on the surface.
kotka	eagle	Pöytyällä pesii kotkia.	Eagles nest in Pöytyä.
kuja	alley	Kaupungissa on kapeita kujia.	There are narrow alleys in the city.
kumma	strange	Täällä on paljon kummia tavaroita.	There are many strange objects here.
kupla	bubble	Uima-altaassa oli kuplia.	There were bubbles in the pool.
loiva	gentle	Reitillä oli pitkiä loivia alamäkiä.	The route had long gentle descents.
nolla	zero	Salasanassa on useita nollia.	There are several zeros in the password.
plussa	plus, pro	Kaikissa on plussia ja miinuksia.	There are pros and cons to everything.
pora	drill	Vajassa on sahoja ja poria.	There are saws and drills in the shed.
puuma	cougar	Onko Suomessa puumia?	Are there cougars in Finland?
roosa	pink, rosie	Tapetissa oli roosia raitoja.	The wallpaper had pink stripes.
suova	haystack	Maaseudun kylissä näkyy heinäsuovia.	Haystacks are visible in rural villages.
suula	gannet	Kallioilla pesii suulia.	Gannets nest on the rocks.
tundra	tundra	Planeetalla on aavikoita ja tundria.	The planet has deserts and tundras.
turma	accident	Kotona sattuu paljon tapaturmia.	A lot of accidents happen at home.
turska	cod	Rannalla oli turskia mätänemässä.	There were cods rotting on the beach.
usva	mist	Näiltä järviltä kohoaa usein usvia.	Mist often rises from these lakes.
uurna	urn	Esillä on uurnia ja arkkuja.	Urns and coffins are on display.
vuona	lamb	Tuossa on vuonia, uuhia ja oinaita.	There are lambs, ewes and rams right there.

That’s all for koira-words in the plural partitive! This list isn’t complete and while googling for example sentences, I ran into some unexpected problems. For one, Finnish has a lot of verbs which have a basic form ending in -ia. This often resulted in wrong hits while searching because Google would give lots of examples of the verb rather than the plural partitive form. Some plural partitive forms that are also verbs include:

Ruoskia: this can be both the plural partitive of the noun ruoska “whip” and the basic form of the verb ruoskia “to whip”
Potkia: this can be both the plural partitive of the noun potka “shank, gaskin” and the basic form of the verb potkia “to kick”

There were also cases where two nouns would have a form in common:

Suuria: this can be both the plural partitive of the noun suura “Sura (chapter of the Qur’an)” and the plural partitive of the noun suuri “large”
Putkia: this can be both the plural partitive of the noun putka “jail” and the plural partitive of the noun putki “pipe”
Puolia: this can be both the plural partitive of the noun puola “bobbin, spoke” and the plural partitive of the noun puoli “half”
Poria: this can be both the plural partitive of the noun pora “drill” and the singular partitive of the Finnish city Pori