-sti

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Cognate to Finnish -sti.

-sti

1. Derives adverbs.

   hää "good" → hästi "well"

   uus "new" → uuesti "again"

   kaunis "beautiful" → kaunisti "beautifully"

   kerge "easy" → kergesti "easily"

From Proto-Finnic *-stik, probably equivalent to -sta (elative suffix) +‎ -i (lative suffix). Cognate to Estonian -sti. For the use of an elative ending to derive such adverbs, compare Erzya -сто (-sto), -стэ (-ste), (-сте (-śťe)) e.g. in вадрясто (vaďŕasto), парсте (paŕśťe, “well, good”).

• IPA^(key): /-stiˣ/, [-s̠ti(ʔ)]

-sti (comparative -mmin, superlative -immin)

1. (adverbial suffix, comparable) Forms adverbs from adjectives describing the manner in which something is done; corresponds to the English suffix -ly.

   ‎kaunis (“beautiful”) + ‎-sti → ‎kauniisti (“beautifully”)

   ‎ruma (“ugly”) + ‎-sti → ‎rumasti (“uglily”)

   ‎usea (“many”) + ‎-sti → ‎useasti (“often”)

2. (multiplicative, not comparable) Forms multiplicative adverbs describing how many times something is done; corresponds to the number + times structure in English.

   ‎kaksi (“two”) + ‎-sti → ‎kahdesti (“twice”)

   ‎kymmenen (“ten”) + ‎-sti → ‎kymmenesti (“ten times”)

   ‎moni (“many”) + ‎-sti → ‎monesti (“many times”)

3. (intensifier) Forms intensifying adverbs from certain nouns, which can be used with verbs or of large quantities.

   ‎helvetti (“hell”) + ‎-sti → ‎helvetisti (“hellishly”)

   ‎rutto (“plague”) + ‎-sti → ‎rutosti (“a lot”)

• (adverbial suffix):
  • The -sti adverbs are used to describe the manner that something is done; the other common use in English to instead modify adjectives, such as to describe their degree or extent (tolerably quiet, exceptionally cold), is expressed in Finnish by making an adverb out of the adjective using the genitive case (siedettävän hiljainen, poikkeuksellisen kylmä).
    • Note the subtle difference:

      poikkeuksellisen kylmä ("exceptionally cold"; so cold that it is exceptional, i.e. it is rarely this cold)

      poikkeuksellisesti kylmä ("exceptionally cold"; it is exceptional that it is cold, i.e. it is rarely cold at all)

  • The suffix is appended to the weak stem, i.e. one takes the -n off the genitive singular form and adds this suffix to it. The resulting adverb is comparable, if the base word is comparable: for example kauniisti, kauniimmin (“more beautifully”), kauneimmin (“most beautifully”). It can be appended to all adjectives, but also to selected nouns and numerals.
• (multiplicative): Used only with small numbers, and with some pronouns; note that yksi (“one”) → yhdesti (“once”) is not in broad use (compare kerran), but is occasionally used in mathematics.
• (intensifier): The suffix is often applied to a vulgar term: perkele → perkeleesti. As with the adverbial suffix, this intensifier is used either with verbs, or to express large amounts; modifying adjectives to express degree is done with the genitive (e.g. helvetin kylmä (“damn cold”), not *helvetisti kylmä).

• (expression of how many times something happens): kertaa

• -lti
• -moinen
• -isti (“-ist”)

• sit.