Aikaisemmin

Aikaisemmin is a Finnish adverb meaning "earlier" or "previously." It is used to refer to a time before the moment of reference in conversation or writing, often in contrasts with the present or future. The word is part of standard Finnish and appears in both spoken and written language.

In usage, aikaisemmin can introduce a clause that situates an event in the past relative to another point in time. For example, it can modify verbs or entire statements: "Aikaisemmin kerrottiin, että" (Earlier it was told that) or "Aikaisemmin nähdyt kuvat olivat parempia" (The pictures seen earlier were better). It is commonly found in formal writing as well as in everyday speech, including when referring back to something mentioned earlier in the text with phrases such as "aikaisemmin mainittu" (the aforementioned).

Etymologically, aikaisemmin is connected to the adjective aikainen, meaning early or former, and functions as an adverb expressing temporal precedence. It shares a semantic field with other time expressions in Finnish, such as nyt (now) and tulevaisuus (future), and it often appears in discourse markers that guide the reader or listener through a sequence of events.

See also: Finnish language, time expressions, adverbs, discourse markers.