Iltapäiväksi

Iltapäiväksi is a Finnish adverbial form derived from the word iltapäivä, meaning the afternoon. The term is used to indicate that an event, activity, or occupation lasts for the duration of the afternoon or is scheduled specifically for that time period.

Formation and grammar: Iltapäiväksi is the translative form of iltapäivä. In Finnish, the translative case is used to express becoming, change of state, or in time expressions to indicate the duration of a period. It is typically written as a single word: iltapäiväksi. It is not a preposition; rather, it modifies the action or state described by the verb or noun surrounding it.

Usage: The expression is common in scheduling, work, and everyday speech. It answers questions about time frames such as “for how long?” or “during which part of the day?” Examples include: “Olen täällä iltapäiväksi.” (I’ll be here for the afternoon.) “Tapaaminen on iltapäiväksi varattu.” (The meeting is booked for the afternoon.) “Varaukset iltapäiväksi” (reservations for the afternoon). It can also appear in phrases indicating temporary availability or commitment within the afternoon.

Etymology and related forms: Iltapäiväksi comes from iltapäivä (afternoon) plus the translative suffix -ksi. Related time expressions include aamuksi (for the morning) and illaksi (for the evening), which use the same translative mechanism to express duration or time-bound state.

See also: Finnish time expressions, translative case (ksi), compound time nouns.