Kustannuksellaan

Kustannuksellaan is a Finnish adverbial expression meaning “at one’s own expense” or “at their own cost.” It indicates that the costs or liabilities of a specified action are borne by the person or party in question, rather than by someone else. The phrase is commonly used in formal, legal, and business contexts to specify who pays.

Etymology and grammar: The expression is built from the noun kustannus (cost) with the possessive suffix -nsa/-nsä and the adessive form -lla, conveying the sense of being on or at someone’s costs. Thus kustannuksellaan literally means “on their costs” and is used to indicate that someone pays for something themselves.

Usage and contexts: Kustannuksellaan is frequent in contracts, court rulings, and official communications to designate responsibility for expenses. For example, a contract might state that a party performs an obligation kustannuksellaan. The phrase also appears in contrastive forms such as toisten kustannuksella, meaning “at the expense of others.” In everyday language, speakers may use more common expressions such as omilla rahoillaan or omalla kustannuksellaan to convey a similar idea.

Nuance: The term can imply voluntary acceptance of costs or a stipulated condition in an agreement. It clarifies financial responsibility and helps allocate risk and liability between parties in negotiations and disputes.

Related terms: kustannus (cost), kustannukset (costs), omat kustannuksensa (one’s own costs), toisten kustannuksella (at the expense of others). The concept is primarily used in formal Finnish writing, with more colloquial alternatives available for casual speech.