1   Introduction

The nominative stem is the basic form of Finnish nominals, infinitives and participles.

2   Formation

The nominative stem is easy to form - it is the nominative itself.

3   Usage

The nominative stem is used to form the nominative singular, the short form of the accusative singular, and sometimes the genitive plural as well. It is also used to form other inflectional stems.

The following example shows, how case endings are attached to the nominative stem.

Case	Word	Translation
Nominative sg	jalka	the foot
Accusative sg (short)	jalka	the foot
Genitive pl	jalkain	of the feet