The locative case is one of the most important grammar concepts in North Sami.

This case helps you express exactly where something is located or where it’s coming from.

Instead of using separate prepositions like “in” or “from”, North Sami attaches a specific ending directly to the noun.

Learning how to build the locative case will drastically improve your ability to describe locations.

I’ll show you exactly how to form and use the locative case in North Sami.

The function of the locative case

English uses words like “in”, “on”, “at”, and “from” to describe a physical location.

North Sami groups all of these concepts together into a single grammar form called the locative case.

You’ll use this case whenever an action happens in a specific place.

You’ll also use it when someone or something is moving away from a location.

The exact translation changes slightly depending on the verb you use in your sentence.

If you use a verb that means resting or staying, the locative translates to “in” or “at”.

If you use a verb that means leaving or arriving, the locative translates to “from”.

Forming the singular locative

The ending for the singular locative case in North Sami is always the letter -s.

You attach this letter directly to the end of a singular noun.

However, you must apply consonant gradation before adding the ending.

This simply means the core consonants inside the word shift to their weak grade form.

For example, the strong double consonant ss in the word viessu (house) becomes a weak single s.

The locative form of viessu then becomes viesus (in the house / from the house).

Forming the plural locative

The ending for the plural locative case is -in.

Just like the singular form, the noun must be shifted into its weak grade before adding the ending.

This ending sometimes replaces the final vowel in certain noun types, but usually it just attaches right to the stem.

For example, to say “in the houses” or “from the houses”, you use the word viesuin.

Examples of the locative case in action

Seeing the locative case in full sentences will help you understand how verbs change the meaning.

Here are a few common everyday sentences showing the “in” or “at” meaning.

Notice how all of these sentences use a stationary verb like “living” or “being”.

When you pair the exact same nouns with an action verb, the translation becomes “from”.

Here are a few examples showing the locative used as “from”.