Edellisessä

Edellisessä is a Finnish grammatical form derived from the word “edellinen”, meaning “previous” or “former”. It functions as a case‑inflected adjective used primarily in the inessive case, which denotes location or state within something. The ending –‑ssa indicates the inessive case, so edellisessä translates to “in the previous (one)” or “in the former”. The construction is common in Finnish when referring to a prior event, location, document, or situation, and it often appears in formal or written contexts.

In Finnish grammar, adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in case, number, and sometimes gender. When an adjective such as edellinen modifies a noun in the inessive case, it receives the same –‑ssa ending: for example, “edellisessä talossa” (in the previous house) or “edellisessä luvussa” (in the previous chapter). The form can also be used substantively, standing alone to refer to a previously mentioned object or concept, as in “Käsittelemme tätä edellisessä” (We will discuss this in the previous [section]).

The etymology traces back to the Proto‑Finnic root *edelä*, related to concepts of “before” or “ahead”. The suffix –‑inen creates an adjective, while the inessive ending –‑ssa reflects the locative function. The word is part of a broader system of temporal and spatial markers in Finnish, which includes other forms such as “seuraavassa” (in the next) and “nykyisessä” (in the current).

Usage of edellisessä is typical in academic writing, legal texts, manuals, and news articles where precise reference to earlier material is required. It conveys clarity without ambiguity, linking present discussion to a defined preceding point in the discourse.