Keskeisiä

Keskeisiä is a Finnish adjective form meaning central or essential. It is the partitive plural form of keskeinen and is used to describe multiple elements that are considered central or important. In everyday and formal Finnish, keskeisiä governs plural nouns in partitive case, as in keskeisiä asioita, keskeisiä kysymyksiä, or keskeisiä teemoja. In predicate position after a verb, such as in lists or claims, it typically takes the partitive plural form: Nämä ovat keskeisiä asioita.

Etymology and related terms: keskeinen is derived from keski, meaning center or middle, combined with the suffix -keinen to indicate a characteristic. The noun keskeisyys expresses centrality or central importance. The word is closely related to other Finnish terms for importance and centrality, such as olennainen (essential) or tärkeä (important), and is commonly used in academic, policy, and analytical writing to emphasize core elements.

Usage notes: Keskeisiä is used to mark elements that are central to a discussion, study, or argument. Examples include: “Keskeisiä asioita ovat kustannukset, aikataulu ja laadunvarmistus.” “Tutkimuksen keskeisiä havaintoja ovat…” and “Keskeisiä teemoja käsiteltiin luvussa kolme.” Because Finnish adjectives decline to match case and number, keskeisiä appears in partitive plural when the object is indefinite or when the predicate requires the partitive form.

Summary: Keskeisiä functions as the plural partitive form of keskeinen, signaling central or essential items within a broader context. It is a common, neutral term in Finnish for describing core elements without implying a specific person, place, or organization.