T-Monikko Nominativi – Suomen Kielioppi

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In Finnish, the nominativi monikko (nominative plural) is formed by adding -t to the plural stem of a noun or adjective. This is known as the T-monikko. It is used as the subject of a sentence when referring to multiple people, objects, or things. Unlike many European languages, Finnish has no grammatical gender — the same rule applies to all nouns.

The key challenge is finding the correct plural vowel stem before adding -t. This stem is always the same stem used in all plural cases (the monikkovartalo).

How it worksFormation Rules

Basic Rule

Add -t directly to the plural vowel stem. The stem is found by taking the plural genitive form and removing -en / -ien.

stem + t

Words ending in a vowel

Nouns ending in a single vowel: the plural stem often ends in -i- replacing the final vowel before adding -t.

talo → talo-i → talot

Words ending in -nen

Nouns ending in -nen change to -si- in the plural stem, then add -t.

-nen → -set

Words ending in -nen (alt)

Some -nen words use the stem -s- (consonant grade). Check the plural genitive to be sure.

nainen → naiset

Words ending in a long vowel / diphthong

The final long vowel or diphthong may shorten or change in the plural stem. Applies to many two-syllable words.

maa → maat

Adjective agreement

Adjectives always agree with the noun in number and case. In the nominative plural, both noun and adjective take -t.

adj-t + noun-t

Word formsNominativi Monikko – Examples

Singular (sg.)	Plural Stem	Plural (pl.) T-monikko	Meaning	Rule
talo	taloi-	talot	houses	vowel → -i-
koira	koiri-	koirat	dogs	-a → -a+t
auto	autoi-	autot	cars	-o → -o+t
kirja	kirjo-	kirjat	books	-a → +t
nainen	naise-	naiset	women	-nen → -se+t
mies	miehe-	miehet	men	irregular
lapsi	lapse-	lapset	children	-si → -se+t
opettaja	opettaji-	opettajat	teachers	-ja → +t
opiskelija	opiskelijoi-	opiskelijat	students	-ja → +t
bussi	busse-	busset	buses	-si → -se+t
päivä	päivi-	päivät	days	-ä → +t
tyttö	tytöi-	tytöt	girls	consonant grade
poika	poiki-	pojat (not poikat)	boys	k-gradation
maa	mai-	maat	lands / countries	long vowel
hyvä	hyvi-	hyvät	good (pl.)	adj. +t
suuri	suure-	suuret	great / big (pl.)	-ri → -re+t
pieni	piene-	pienet	small (pl.)	-ni → -ne+t
uusi	uude-	uudet	new (pl.)	-si → -de+t

In contextExample Sentences

Subject – basic noun Talot ovat suuria. The houses are big.

Subject – person Naiset juoksevat puistossa. The women are running in the park.

Adjective + Noun agreement Hyvät opettajat auttavat oppilaita. Good teachers help the pupils.

Adjective + Noun agreement Pienet lapset leikkivät ulkona. Small children are playing outside.

Predicate adjective Koirat ovat iloiset. The dogs are happy.

Irregular noun Miehet työskentelevät toimistossa. The men work in the office.

Consonant gradation Pojat pelaavat jalkapalloa. The boys are playing football.

Long compound sentence Uudet autot ovat kalliita, mutta vanhat autot ovat halpoja. New cars are expensive, but old cars are cheap.

Important remindersNotes & Tips

Type	Note	Example
Important	The T-monikko is only the nominative plural. Other plural cases use different endings (-ssa, -sta, -lle, etc.) but always share the same plural stem.	talot (nom.pl.) vs taloissa (iness.pl.)
Grammar	Adjectives must agree with the noun: both take -t in the plural nominative. Forgetting to pluralise the adjective is a common mistake.	hyvät koirat / hyvä koirat
Warning	Do NOT confuse the singular partitive (ending in -a/-ä) with the plural nominative. They look different but beginners sometimes mix them up.	koiraa (sg. partitive) vs koirat (pl. nom.)
Tip	To find the plural stem, look up the plural genitive (monikko genetiivi) in a dictionary and remove -en or -ien. Then add -t.	talojen → taloje- → talot
Exception	Consonant gradation (astevaihtelu) applies in the plural too. The stem may change its consonant (k/p/t alternations). Always check the full paradigm.	poika → pojat (not poikat)
Exception	Irregular nouns such as mies (man) and lapsi (child) have unexpected stems. These must be memorised individually.	mies → miehet · lapsi → lapset
Grammar	The -nen suffix words are very common (nainen, suomalainen, englantilainen…). They always form the plural with -set.	suomalainen → suomalaiset
Tip	Vowel harmony still applies in the plural. Back-vowel words use a/o/u; front-vowel words use ä/ö/y. The -t ending itself never changes.	tytöt (front) · pojat (back)
Important	When a noun is the subject of a sentence, use the nominative plural (T-monikko). If it is the object of an affirmative sentence, the accusative (same as nom.) or partitive may be needed instead.	Koirat juoksevat. (subject, nom.pl.)
Tip	Numerals 2 and above always take the singular partitive — NOT the plural. The T-monikko is never used after a number.	kaksi koiraa / kaksi koirat

At a glanceQuick Reference

Common Plural Stem Patterns → add -t

→talotalot

→kirjakirjat

→bussibussit

→nainennaiset

→lapsilapset

→miesmiehet

→poikapojat

→uusiuudet

→suurisuuret

→pienipienet

→päiväpäivät

→maamaat