(1) The nominative has no suffix, though it does not always represent the pure root. In maa, land, the two are identical, but the roots käte, vete, vieraha produce the nominatives käsi, vesi, vieras.
(2) The partitive is formed by the suffix ta, tä or a, ä. It may be roughly described as answering to a noun preceded in English by the word some, or in French by the partitive article. Leipää, some bread, du pain; vettä, some water, de l’eau.
(3) The genitive is formed by the suffix n. Puun, of the tree.
The Finnish genitive really represents two cases, the genitive and accusative, which have become confused in one form.
(4) The inessive expresses the place, in which anything takes place, and is formed with the suffix -ssa, -ssä. Missä, where (in what); kirkossa, in the church.
(5) The elative expresses the place from which motion takes place, and is formed with the suffix -sta, -stä. Mistä, whence (from what); kirkosta, from the church; talosta, from the farm.
(6) The illative is formed by adding to the root the consonants h—n, between which is inserted the last vowel of the root, or, if it ends in a diphthong, the second vowel in that diphthong. Talo, talohon; metsä, metsähän; työ, työhön. Generally the termination is shortened by the omission of h, and we have forms like taloon, metsään. It expresses the place into which motion takes place.
(7) The adessive is formed with the suffix -lla, -llä, and signifies the place on which, or the object with which, anything is done. Lattialla, on the floor; kädellä, with the hand.
(8) The ablative is formed with the suffix -lta, -ltä, and expresses motion from. Maalta, from the land; pöydältä, from the table.