Onnistumisessa

Onnistumisessa is a Finnish term formed as the inessive case of the noun onnistuminen, meaning the act of succeeding or success. In practice, onnistumisessa translates roughly to “in the act of succeeding” or “in success,” and it is used to describe being in a state or process related to achieving a goal.

Morphology and meaning

Onnistuminen is a nominalization derived from the verb onnistua, which means “to succeed.” The inessive ending -ssa/-ssä attaches to the noun onnistuminen to form onnistumisessa, indicating location or state: “in the act of succeeding” or “during success.” The construction is common in formal or analytical Finnish discourse when discussing factors, conditions, or stages linked to achieving success.

Usage

Onnistumisessa is used to refer to the process or state associated with achieving an outcome, rather than a single event. It often appears in discussions of work, study, projects, or experiments where success depends on planning, effort, and adaptation. Examples:

- Onnistumisessa keskeistä on suunnittelu ja pitkäjänteinen työ. (In the act of succeeding, planning and sustained effort are key.)

- Tutkimuksessa painotetaan, että onnistumisessa on huomioitava oppimiskokemukset sekä virheet. (In the process of succeeding, one must consider learning experiences as well as mistakes.)

Related terms

The related verb is onnistua (to succeed), and the related noun is onnistuminen (the act of succeeding, success). Other Finnish terms for related concepts include menestys (success) and saavuttaa (to achieve). The form onnistumisessa is primarily a formal or analytical reference to the ongoing process of achieving success.

Notes

As a grammatical form, onnistumisessa demonstrates Finnish’s use of noun-based inessive cases to express abstract states and processes within discourse.