Editing Veps language (section)

===Nouns===
Veps has twenty-three [[grammatical case]]s, more than any other [[Finnic languages|Finnic language]]. It preserves the basic set of Finnic cases shared by most Finnic languages, including the [[Proto-Finnic locative system|six locative cases]], but several more cases have been added that generally have no counterpart in the others.

{| class="wikitable"
! Case
! Singular<br/>ending
! Plural<br/>ending
! Meaning/use
|-
! colspan="4" | Basic/grammatical cases
|-
| [[Nominative case|Nominative]]
| ∅
| {{lang|vep|-d}}
| Subject, object of imperative
|-
| [[Accusative case|Accusative]]
| {{lang|vep|-n}}
| {{lang|vep|-d}}
| Complete ([[telicity|telic]]) object
|-
| [[Genitive case|Genitive]]
| {{lang|vep|- n}}
| {{lang|vep|-iden}}
| Possession, relation
|-
| [[Partitive case|Partitive]]
| {{lang|vep|-d, -t}} ({{lang|vep|-da}})
| {{lang|vep|-id}}
| Partial object, indefinite amount
|-
! colspan="4" | Interior ("in") locative cases
|-
| [[Inessive case|Inessive]]
| {{lang|vep|-s}} ({{lang|vep|-š}})
| {{lang|vep|-iš}}
| In, inside
|-
| [[Illative case|Illative]]
| {{lang|vep|-hV, -ze}} ({{lang|vep|-že}})
| {{lang|vep|-ihe, -iže}}
| In, into
|-
| [[Elative case|Elative]]
| {{lang|vep|-späi}} ({{lang|vep|-špäi}})
| {{lang|vep|-išpäi}}
| Out of
|-
! colspan="4" | Exterior ("on") locative cases
|-
| [[Adessive case|Adessive]]
| {{lang|vep|-l}}
| {{lang|vep|-il}}
| On, upon, on top of
|-
| [[Allative case|Allative]]
| {{lang|vep|-le}} ({{lang|vep|-lle}})
| {{lang|vep|-ile}}
| Onto
|-
| [[Ablative case|Ablative]]
| {{lang|vep|-lpäi}}
| {{lang|vep|-ilpäi}}
| Off, from (top, surface)
|-
! colspan="4" | Approximate ("at, near") locative cases
|-
| Approximative I
| {{lang|vep|-nno}}
| {{lang|vep|-idenno}}
| At, by, near
|-
| Approximative II
| {{lang|vep|-nnoks}}
| {{lang|vep|-idennoks}}
| To, towards
|-
| [[Egressive case|Egressive]]
| {{lang|vep|-nnopäi}}
| {{lang|vep|-idennopäi}}
| From
|-
! colspan="4" | Terminative (?) locative cases
|-
| [[Terminative case|Terminative]] I-II
| {{lang|vep|-hVsai, -zesai}} ({{lang|vep|-žesai}})/{{lang|vep|-lesai}} ({{lang|vep|-llesai}})
| {{lang|vep|-ihesai, -ižesai/-ilesai}}
| Till, until, up to; II used instead of I if the word often uses allative instead of illative
|-
| [[Terminative case|Terminative]] III
| {{lang|vep|-ssai}} ({{lang|vep|-ššai?}})
| —
| (Starting) From (such as {{lang|vep|noressai}} (from one's youth))
|-
! colspan="4" | Additive (?) locative cases
|-
| Additive I-II
| {{lang|vep|-hVpäi, -zepäi}} ({{lang|vep|-žepäi}})/{{lang|vep|-lepäi}} ({{lang|vep|-llepäi}})
| {{lang|vep|-ihepäi, -ižepai/-ilepäi}}
| In the direction of, towards; II used instead of I if the word often uses allative instead of illative
|-
! colspan="4" | Other cases
|-
| [[Essive case|Essive]]-[[Instructive case|instructive]]
| {{lang|vep|-n}}
| {{lang|vep|-in}}
| Being, acting as, with, by means of
|-
| [[Translative case|Translative]]
| {{lang|vep|-ks}} ({{lang|vep|-kš}})
| {{lang|vep|-ikš}}
| Becoming, turning into
|-
| [[Abessive case|Abessive]]
| {{lang|vep|-ta}}
| {{lang|vep|-ita}}
| Without, lacking
|-
| [[Comitative case|Comitative]]
| {{lang|vep|-nke}}
| {{lang|vep|-idenke}}
| With, in company of, in combination with
|-
| [[Prolative case|Prolative]]
| {{lang|vep|-dme, -tme}} ({{lang|vep|-dame}})
| {{lang|vep|-idme}}
| Along
|}

Notes:
# "V" indicates a copy of whatever vowel the genitive singular stem ends with, replacing a ''i'', ''ä'', ''ö'', ''ü'' with ''e'', ''a'', ''o'', ''u''. For example, for the illative singular: {{lang|vep|mec'''a'''n}} > {{lang|vep|mech'''a''', nor'''e'''n}} > {{lang|vep|nor'''e'''h'''e''', pöud'''o'''n}} > {{lang|vep|pöudh'''o''', p'''ä'''n}} > {{lang|vep|p'''ä'''h'''a'''}}. Note that the stem-final vowel itself can disappear in these forms, but the rule applies the same.
# In endings beginning with ''s'' or ''z'' or a group of consonants containing ''s'' or ''z'', this changes to ''š''/''ž'' if the last preceding vowel is ''i''. This always occurs in the plural forms.
# The partitive, allative, terminative II, additive II and prolative singular cases have longer endings that are used with a few frequently-used pronouns, {{lang|vep|ken}} "who" and {{lang|vep|mi}} "what".

====Principal parts====

Nouns have four [[principal parts]], from which all other noun forms can be derived by replacing the endings:
* Nominative singular: Forms no other forms.
* Partitive singular: Forms the prolative singular. Can usually be formed from the genitive singular by replacing ''-n'' with ''-d'', but some words have an unpredictable form with ''-t'' and a different stem.
* Genitive singular: When ''-n'' is removed, forms all remaining singular forms, and the nominative and accusative plural. It is often unpredictable due to historical [[apocope]].
* Illative singular: Forms the illative, terminative I and additive I singular. The illative singular is predictably formed from the genitive singular stem, so it's not a principal part as such.
* Partitive plural: When ''-d'' is removed, forms all remaining plural forms.

The illative singular stem is the same as the genitive singular stem, except that the final vowel is dropped in some cases. The vowel is retained if ''at least one'' of these is the case, and dropped otherwise:
# The final vowel is a diphthong.
# The nominative singular is of the form "consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel".
# The genitive singular has 1 or 3 syllables.
# There is contraction of a syllable in the genitive singular stem (compared to the nominative stem), e.g. nom sg {{lang|vep|vauged}} > gen sg {{lang|vep|vauktan}} (contraction ''-ged'' > ''-kt-''), nom sg {{lang|vep|lambaz}} > gen sg {{lang|vep|lambhan}} (contraction ''-az'' > ''-h-'').
# The final consonants of genitive singular stem are ''ll'' or ''lʹlʹ''.

Thus:
{| class="wikitable"
! Nom sg
! Gen sg
! Ill sg
! Rules
|-
| {{lang|vep|voi}}
| {{lang|vep|voin}}
| {{lang|vep|voihe}}
| 1, 3
|-
| {{lang|vep|kukoi}}
| {{lang|vep|kukoin}}
| {{lang|vep|kukoihe}}
| 1
|-
| {{lang|vep|tullei}}
| {{lang|vep|tullein}}
| {{lang|vep|tulleihe}}
| 1, 5
|-
| {{lang|vep|pä}}
| {{lang|vep|pän}}
| {{lang|vep|päha}}
| 3
|-
| {{lang|vep|vezi}}
| {{lang|vep|veden}}
| {{lang|vep|vedehe}}
| 2
|-
| {{lang|vep|labid}}
| {{lang|vep|labidon}}
| {{lang|vep|labidoho}}
| 3
|-
| {{lang|vep|piring}}
| {{lang|vep|piringon}}
| {{lang|vep|piringoho}}
| 3
|-
| {{lang|vep|tervhuzʹ}}
| {{lang|vep|tervhuden}}
| {{lang|vep|tervhudehe}}
| 3
|-
| {{lang|vep|vauged}}
| {{lang|vep|vauktan}}
| {{lang|vep|vauktaha}}
| 4
|-
| {{lang|vep|kaste}}
| {{lang|vep|kastken}}
| {{lang|vep|kastkehe}}
| 4
|-
| {{lang|vep|kondi}}
| {{lang|vep|kondjan}}
| {{lang|vep|kondjaha}}
| 4
|-
| {{lang|vep|velʹlʹ}}
| {{lang|vep|vellen}}
| {{lang|vep|vellehe}}
| 5
|-
| {{lang|vep|malʹlʹ}}
| {{lang|vep|malʹlʹan}}
| {{lang|vep|malʹlʹaha}}
| 5
|-
| {{lang|vep|norʹ}}
| {{lang|vep|noren}}
| {{lang|vep|norhe}}
| None
|-
| {{lang|vep|kädetoi}}
| {{lang|vep|kädetoman}}
| {{lang|vep|kädetomha}}
| None
|}

If the genitive singular stem has ''h'' before the final vowel, then the ending {{lang|vep|-ze}} ({{lang|vep|-že}} after ''i'') is used, and the vowel is never dropped:

{| class="wikitable"
! Nom sg
! Gen sg
! Ill sg
! Rules
|-
| {{lang|vep|tuha}}
| {{lang|vep|tuhan}}
| {{lang|vep|tuhaze}}
| 2
|-
| {{lang|vep|veneh}}
| {{lang|vep|venehen}}
| {{lang|vep|veneheze}}
| 3
|-
| {{lang|vep|laineh}}
| {{lang|vep|lainhen}}
| {{lang|vep|lainheze}}
| 4
|-
| {{lang|vep|lomineh}}
| {{lang|vep|lominehen}}
| {{lang|vep|lomineheze}}
| None
|-
| {{lang|vep|lambaz}}
| {{lang|vep|lambhan}}
| {{lang|vep|lambhaze}}
| 4
|-
| {{lang|vep|madokaz}}
| {{lang|vep|madokhan}}
| {{lang|vep|madokhaze}}
| 3, 4
|}