Eräitä

Eräitä is the partitive plural form of the Finnish noun erä. The base erä has several related meanings, most commonly referring to a batch or lot of items, or to a round or turn in a game or competition. In usage, erä denotes a portion within a larger set, and in some contexts can be used more generally to refer to a segment or phase of an activity.

In grammatical terms, erä is a count noun with a partitive plural form eräitä. This form is used when the speaker refers to an indefinite or non-specific subset of several items or rounds. It often carries a sense of “some of,” “a number of,” or “certain” within a larger collection. For example, Ostan eräitä juustoja means “I am buying some cheeses (of various kinds).” Another example is HANKKEESSA sovittiin eräitä ehtoja, meaning that certain terms were agreed upon in the project.

Semantics and nuance can vary with context. The partitive eräitä is common in more formal or literary Finnish, and it can emphasize a non-specific or representative selection rather than a precise quantity. In everyday speech, speakers may choose more direct phrasing such as joitakin tai joidenkin to convey a similar sense.

Etymology traces erä to a Finnish root linked to portions or groups, with eräitä forming the standard partitive plural for the noun erä in modern Finnish.

See also: erä, partitive case, Finnish grammar.