The basic meaning of the Partitive case is "partialness".
In the Finnish language, it's used in the following circumstances, with the characteristic ending of "a" or "ta":
- After numbers: "kolme taloa" -> "three houses"
- For incomplete actions and ongoing processes: "luen kirjaa" -> "I'm reading a book"
- After certain verbs, particularly those indicating emotions: "rakastan tätä taloa" -> "I love this house"
- For tentative enquiries: "saanko lainata kirjaa?" -> "can I borrow the book?"
- In places where English would use "some" or "any": "onko teillä kirjoja?" -> "do you have any books?"
- For negative statements: "talossa ei ole kirjaa" -> "there is not a book in the house"