If you’ve been studying Finnish for a while, you know for sure that, in general, adjectives are inflected in the same case as their noun: [iso talo] becomes [isossa talossa] and [isoihin taloihin]. We call this “congruence” (kongruenssi). Congruence is sometimes also called agreement in English. The opposite is incongruence.

This article deals with incongruence, which is what we call it when congruence is broken. In these phrases the attribute and the noun are both inflected, but in different cases, as in the phrase [vähäksi aikaa] “for a little while”. These are phrases you will have to learn by heart because these are not logical or predictable. There are, however, certain nouns that will have this happen quite regularly (e.g. the words tapa, paikka and aika). In some cases, incongruence is obligatory, but in others, we can have two correct forms.

Don’t get overwhelmed!

I am very much aware that this article is overwhelming. I hope it’s comforting to know that the words listed in the first section of this article are all you will need for a long time. Consider the rest of this article an “interesting read” but don’t create any pressure for yourself to remember all of these. This will come with time. My advice is to actively study the phrases listed in the first section and learn the rest of the phrases one by one when you actually come across them somewhere or need them.

So many people were involved in making sure this article contains as accurate information as possible. I especially want to thank Viltsu, takkutaa and Jukka_K for their extensive help! This has been a challenging topic, not in the least because the usage of these phrases can differ depending on the speaker and the situation. Thank you for taking the trouble to go over certain phrases in your mind and giving such valuable feedback! This article would probably never be published without you.

1. The most important phrases

The following tables contain really common phrases where incongruence is either the only option, or by far the more common one of the options. These tables don’t contain any explanations or translations, but you can find the same phrases in the rest of the article below.

2. Incongruence vs. congruence

Some phrases have two possible forms. Below, you can see some examples. On the left side in the table, you can find phrases where the words are in a different case. On the right, there’s the same phrase but with both words in the same case. These are examples where both versions are possible. The numbers provided are the google search results for each phrase. This can give you some idea of how common both forms are. You can use this same trick to figure out how common a phrase is. Search for each phrase by putting them between quotation marks (e.g. “näillä keinoin” and “näillä keinoilla“).

In meaning, these phrases are synonyms. The incongruent version is generally more idiomatic. Some phrases can only be used with two different cases. The expressions above in section 1 are words where it would be very beneficial for you to learn and use the incongruent phrase.

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3. Translative + partitive

In the sentences below, the translative case is combined with the partitive case.

Some remarks:

1. The word aika in these phrases (#1) can be translated both as “time” and as “while”. All the phrases with aika can also be congruent (ie. [joksikin ajaksi] and [vähäksi ajaksi], but it would be beneficial to learn and use the translative+partitive version, as it is more common.
2. Both [täksi/siksi kertaa] and [täksi/siksi kerraksi] (#2) are rare phrases. You won’t have much use for them, but if you do, both versions are possible.

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4. Inessive + partitive

The following phrases consist of the inessive case and the partitive case.

Some remarks:

1. The word kohta can be used both in a spacial and a temporal meaning. This means you can use it to refer to a location (e.g. toisessa kohtaa “in another place/spot/location”) and a time (e.g. toisessa kohtaa “at another time”). This is only true for the incongruent phrase. When you use the same case for both words (e.g. tuossa kohdassa “in that spot”) the meaning is purely locational.
2. One other tendency that’s noticeable in Google search results is that phrases with kohdassa are used more to refer to a concrete physical spot, while phrases with kohtaa are often used for more abstract “points”. A less concrete point could be, for example, a point in a briefing, education program or in a person’s life.
3. The phrases marked with #1 – [tässä kohtaa] and [tuossa kohtaa] – are very idiomatic and much more popular than [tässä/tuossa kohdassa]. These are definitely two to learn by heart!
4. The other phrases with kohtaa (#2) are less idiomatic, perhaps because they’re also less commonly used in general (true for both inessive+inessive and inessive+partitive). When a phrase is used less, the idiomatic expression is less strong. As such, the normal inessive+inessive (e.g. toisessa kohdassa) form is more popular for these.

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5. Inessive + instructive

The following phrases consist of the inessive case and the instructive case.

Some remarks:

1. For phrases marked with number 1, I would recommend using the incongruent phrase. However, there can be a difference between incongruent [missä + määrin] phrases and congruent [missä + määrässä] phrases. In the phrase with two different cases [missä + määrin], you will normally translate määrin as “extent” (e.g. to what extent something is true). The congruent [missä + määrässä] will usually be translated as “amount” (e.g. what amount of arsenic soil contains). This is just a tendency; sometimes these forms overlap.
2. For määrin, the typical difference between the singular and plural is also visible in English: the singular [tuossa määrin] means “to that extent”, while the plural [noissa määrin] is translated as “in those quantities/amounts“.
3. Phrases marked with #3 can be both congruent and incongruent. Translating kohta to English can be difficult to do with just one word: it can mean a spot, a point, a location or an area. In addition, kohta can also refer to a point in time, rather than a physical place. This is more common for the incongruent phrase. When referring to a place, the phrase [tässä kohdin] can be perceived as being slightly more specific “around this place”, while [tässä kohdassa] has a more specific connotation. The question [missä kohtaa] sounds more natural to some Finns that [missä kohdin].
4. In contrast with [tuossa/noissa määrin], note how I’ve listed both [monissa kohdin] (the plural form) and [monessa kohdin] (the singular form). They differ from määrin because the singular and the plural form are translated in the exact same way in English. So, while I’ve given a different example for each, these phrases have the same meaning. This is also true for useassa and useissa (marked with number 4 in the table above). Note that if we use the partitive form (e.g. monessa kohtaa) (see the previous section of this article) it’s not possible to use the plural form.
5. Phrases marked with 5 are highly lexicalized and can only be used in the cases listed in the table above.
6. Phrases marked with 6 are barely used at all. The congruent phrases [pienissä erissä] and [vähissä erissä] are much more common.

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6. Elative + partitive

The following phrases consist of the elative case and the partitive case.

Some remarks:

1. The phrase “pitkästä aikaa” is usually one of the first situations where a learner of Finnish finds out that there are phrases where an adjective and a noun don’t agree. You should learn this phrase by heart.
2. The congruent phrase [tästä kohdasta] and incongruent phrase [tästä kohtaa] can be used as synonyms to express to a location, area, spot or point. Note how, when talking about a point in time, you can only use [tästä kohtaa]. This is true for all the phrases marked with #2. Both the congruent and the incongruent versions of these phrases are used commonly.
3. In English, you would probably say your leg is broken in many places and the roof leaks in several spots. In Finnish, you use the elative case so mistä rather than missä or mihin), so from what place/spot something happens. This may take some time getting used to. There is no one rule that explains all of these.

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7. Elative + instructive

The following phrases consist of the elative case and the instructive case.

Some remarks:

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8. Adessive + partitive

The following phrases consist of the adessive case and the partitive case.

Some remarks:

1. The word tapaa is always used with an attribute in the singular (e.g. [sillä tapaa] but not [niillä tapaa]. This is in contrast with tavoin (see section 9), for which both the singular and the plural can be used depending on the context (e.g. [sillä tavoin] “that way” or [niillä tavoin] “in those ways”).
2. The phrases with tapa (#1) are also often congruent. For example, jollakin/toisella/tällä/millä tavalla can be used instead of jollakin/toisella/tällä/millä tapaa. Both are common.
3. Phrases with kohta (#3) can be used both with the adessive (e.g. tällä kohtaa) and with the inessive case (e.g. tässä kohtaa) without much of a difference in meaning. These phrases feel incomplete without the larger area specified, for which we use in the partitive case (e.g. toisella kohtaa tietä).
4. Phrases marked with #4 aren’t very commonly used. The congruent alternative is much more common (e.g. tällä viikolla).
5. The opposite is true for phrases marked with #5: they are always incongruent.
6. Phrases which include kerta (#6) can somewhat differ in meaning. The congruent phrases [tällä/tuolla kerralla] are used to single out a specific time of a recurring event: something happened specifically this time rather than the previous time. The incongruent phrases [tällä/tuolla kertaa] also refer to a recurring event but there is less of a focus on the repetitive nature of the event.
7. The phrases [samalla kertaa] and [yhdellä kertaa] are used to mean “at once, simultaneously”. The congruent phrases [samalla kerralla] and [yhdellä kerralla] refer to actions that are repeated multiple times and single out one of those times.
8. The phrase [toisella kertaa] means “another time, not right now”, for which we often also use the adverb toiste. In contrast, [toisella kerralla] means “the second time” (of a recurring event).

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9. Adessive + instructive

The following phrases consist of the adessive case and the instructive case.

Some remarks:

1. For the examples above, it’s important to use your knowledge of when to use -ssa versus -lla. The general rule is that we use -ssa for small, clearly defined areas and -lla for larger, less specific areas. However, it’s up to the speaker to choose which one they find more appropriate.
2. The forms puolen (#1) and välin (#2) in the examples above look very much like the genitive form of puoli and väli. Grammatically, they are actually inflected in the singular instructive case, which is only very rarely used in Finnish. Only the singular is used in these incongruent phrases, so you won’t find “toisilla puolin“. You can find the plural in the congruent phrases [molemmin puolin] and [kaikin puolin] (more examples here).
3. The phrases [hyvillä/pahoilla mielin] (#3) can be replaced by singular congruent phrases [hyvällä/pahalla mielellä]. The former sound more poetic than the latter but both are used. In addition, [pahalla mielellä] feels to some native speakers like it refers to a specific day, or like it has just started, while [pahoilla mielin] could mean maybe in general, always, or for a longer period.
   
4. Note the singular or plural form used with these phrases:
   #1 With puolen we use the singular form (e.g. tuolla puolen rather than noilla puolen).
   #2 With välin we also use the singular form (e.g. tällä välin rather than näillä välin).
   #4 We always use the plural form for seutu, tienoo, maa and kohta.
   #5 The words tapa and keino can be used with both the singular (#5a and #6a) and the plural (#5b and #6b) depending on the context (e.g. sillä tavoin “that way” or niillä tavoin “in those ways”).
5. The words seuduin, tienoin, main and kohdin (#4) are all inflected in the plural instructive case, so it makes sense for the attribute (e.g. näillä) to also be plural.
6. The phrases [jollain tapaa/tavoin/tavalla] (#5) are used interchangeably and no difference in meaning is easily detectable. They can be used as synonyms.
7. The congruent phrase [jollain keinolla] (#6) is clearly more common than [jollain keinoin]. There is no clear difference in meaning.
   

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10. Ablative + partitive

The following phrases consist of the ablative case and the partitive case.

Some remarks:

1. For many of the examples above, we’re using the miltä form (the ablative case – rather than mille or millä) because the verb requires it. This doesn’t always match up with the form you’d use in English. For example, in Finnish you find something from a place rather than in a place. This is because the verbs löytää and löytyä require -sta or -lta. You can read more about verb rections like this here.
2. Translating kohta to English can be difficult to do with just one word: it can mean a spot, a point, a location or an area. It really depends on the example which one fits better. Keep that in mind when looking at the translations. I feel I did a pretty bad job with the translations here!
3. The difference in meaning between [samasta kohtaa] and [samalta kohtaa] fits with the general difference between these two cases. The general rule is that we use -sta for small, clearly defined areas and -lta for larger, less specific areas. However, it’s up to the speaker to choose which one they find more appropriate in the context at hand.
4. It would be beneficial to learn the incongruent phrase for [tältä erää]! While [tältä erältä] does exist and has the same meaning, the idiomatic phrase [tältä erää] (meaning “for now”) is much more common.

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11. Ablative + instructive

The following phrases consist of the ablative case and the instructive case.

Some remarks:

1. For many of the examples above, we’re using the miltä form (the ablative case) because the verb requires it (e.g. löytää + mistä, poistaa + mistä). This doesn’t always match up with the form you’d use in English. For example, in Finnish you find something from a place rather than in a place. This is because the verbs löytää and löytyä require -sta or -lta. You can read more about verb rections like this here. I’ve opted for translating these sentences in a way that makes sense in English, which means the word “from” is missing in many of the translations.
2. The form puolen in the examples above (#1) looks very much like the genitive form of puoli. Grammatically, it’s the singular instructive case, which is only very rarely used in Finnish. Only the singular puolen is used in incongruent phrases, so you won’t find “toisilta puolin“. You can find the plural in the congruent phrases [molemmin puolin] and [kaikin puolin] (more examples here). Also note for phrases marked with #1 that the pronoun used with puolen is in its singular form (e.g. tuolta puolen rather than noilta puolen). The congruent phrase (e.g. tältä puolelta) is more of an everyday phrase, while the incongruent phrase (e.g. tältä puolen) has a slightly more fancy, literary nuance.
3. In the phrase [puolelta päivin] (#2) we have two different cases as well as a difference in singular and plural incongruence. The phrase [puolilta päivin] matches up better, since both words are plural. As such, the plural form might “sound” better to some Finns. However, both forms are used very commonly.
4. Translating kohta to English can be difficult to do with just one word: kohta can mean a spot, a point, a location or an area. For the [miltä + instructive] forms (#3), the most natural translation is “area”, as you can see in the examples above.
5. For seuduin, tienoin and main (#5) there is an added complication. While these forms are grammatically plural, they don’t necessarily get understood as a plural. For example, “Näyttelijä on kotoisin [näiltä seuduin]” could be both translated as “from these regions” and “from this region”. This is a peculiarity in English but doesn’t bother most Finns because the instructive is almost always used in its plural form. This is also the reason why the pronoun used with it is inflected in the plural (e.g. [niiltä seuduin] rather than [siltä seuduin]).

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12. Allative + instructive

The following phrases consist of the allative case and the instructive case.

Some remarks:

1. The form puolen in the examples above looks very much like the genitive form of puoli. Grammatically, it’s the singular instructive case, which is only very rarely used in Finnish.
2. For phrases marked with #1, incongruence is fairly uncommon. For example, [mille puolelle] is more common than [mille puolen]. For #3, both [toiselle puolen] and [toiselle puolelle] are commonly used.
3. The phrase “siirtyä rajan tuolle puolen” usually is an idiom used to say that someone died. This matches up with the phrase “tuonpuoleinen elämä“, which refers to the afterlife. Using the congruent phrase [tuolle puolelle] is less tied to this special meaning: it can just be a physical, spacial thing.

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13. Accusative + partitive

The following phrases combine the accusative case (which looks like the genitive here with the marker -n) and the partitive case.

Some remarks:

1. Phrases marked with #1 are rare and there are alternative phrases that are used regularly. For example, [kaiken päivää] could be rephrased as “koko päivän“, which is 100 times more common.
2. [Pitkän matkan] and [pitkän matkaa] are both used, but there’s a clear difference. The phrase with both words in the accusative case refers to a journey that is currently over, while the combination of the genitive and the partitive case refers to an ongoing journey. Note that these can refer to a physical journey to a place as well as a more mental journey.

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14. Full paradigm examples

Theoretically, for every phrase that can be used with the inessive’s marker -ssa, there could also be a similar phrase with the elative‘s marker -sta or the illative‘s mihin form. However, the extent to which these forms are used can vary dramatically.

In the following table, you can find the inessive (missä), elative (mistä) and illative (mihin) forms used in combination with kohtaa. Forms that are green and bolded are very common. Words between brackets are very rare. I’ve taken the easy way out and used Google to determine how common these forms are.

The table below has the the adessive (millä), ablative (miltä) and allative (mille) forms used in combination with puolen. Unlike kohtaa, you will never use -ssa or -sta with puolen. Forms that are green and bolded are very common. Words between brackets are very rare. Note that many of these forms are used but not many of them are common.

One more table to demonstrate the paradigm of words that can get -lla.

Read more elsewhere on the internet:

• Kongruenssittomia ilmauksia
• Kongruoimattomat lausekkeet ja ilmaustyypit

Related posts:

Sentence types with verb in the third person singular – Incongruence