Kohdallaan

Kohdallaan is a Finnish adverbial expression used to indicate that a statement or consideration applies to a specific subject in that subject’s own case or context. The phrase literally means “in that subject’s case” and is employed to frame discourse so something is understood as relevant to, or true for, a particular person, group, or matter rather than universally.

Morphology and usage

The form is connected to possessive marking, allowing speakers to specify who the case refers to. Examples include kohdallani (in my case), hänen kohdallaan (in his/her/its case), meidän kohdallamme (in our case). Kohdallaan is common in formal or analytical Finnish, including legal commentary, journalism, and argumentation, where precise relevance to the subject is important.

Function and translations

In practice, kohdallaan conveys nuances like “as far as X is concerned” or “in X’s case.” It helps delineate scope, exceptions, or specific relevance, rather than making a general statement. While similar ideas can be expressed with phrases like “mitä tulee X:ään,” kohdallaan provides a concise, subject-focused anchor for discussion.

Notes

Kohdallaan tends to appear more in written or formal language; in everyday speech speakers may opt for alternative constructions depending on context. The expression is one tool among Finnish case- and possessive-marking systems for signaling relevance to a particular subject.

See also

Finnish possessive suffixes, case marking, phrases meaning “as far as … is concerned.”