The place of prepositions in other languages is supplied by postpositions, that is to say, by words which follow a substantive (mostly in the genitive or partitive case). These words are not, however, really analogous to the indeclinable prepositions of other languages; they are cases of substantives, some of which are found used in the nominative case. For instance, ali (not used as a substantive) means a place under something else. From this are formed the cases alla, alle, alta, etc., which are used as prepositions, e.g. kissa on pÖydÄn alla, the cat is in the place under the table, that is, under the table; kissa meni pÖydÄn alle, the cat went to the place under the table, that is, under the table; kissa tuli pÖydÄn alta, the cat came from the place under the table, or from under the table. A list of these substantives, which are mostly fragmentary in their declensions, is given in the Syntax. A few of them precede the substantive which they govern and can hence be called prepositions. Such words mostly require that the substantive which they govern should be in the partitive, whereas postpositions follow a word in the genitive.

In these words we may distinguish two classes:—

A. Those which are used as postpositions only in one case, and which have become more or less petrified. Such are ennen, before; ilman, without; kanssa, with; varten, for.

B. Those which are used in several cases. Some of these are ordinary substantives used in the nominative and other cases. The postpositional usage of such words corresponds to such English phrases as ‘in the middle of.’ Such are joukko, a crowd; (joukossa, joukkoon); jÄlki, a footstep (jÄlessÄ, jÄlestÄ, jÄlkeen); kohta, a place (kohdalla, kohdalta, kohdalle, kohtaan); puoli, a half (puolessa, puolesta, puolella, puolelta, puoleen); pÄÄ, a head (pÄÄssÄ, pÄÄstÄ, pÄÄhÄn, pÄÄllÄ, pÄÄlle, pÄÄltÄ).

Others, though clearly substantives in their form, are not used except as particles:—yli, ylitse, yllÄ, ylle, yltÄ; ympÄri, ympÄrillÄ, ympÄriltÄ, ympÄrille; alla, alta, alle; edessÄ, edestÄ, eteen, edellÄ, edeltÄ, edelle; luota, luona, luo; ohessa, ohesta, oheen, ohitse; myÖtÄ, myÖten, and others.