Selitykseen

Selitykseen is the illative singular form of the Finnish noun selitys, meaning an explanation or justification. The illative case expresses movement toward or into a destination, and in this figurative sense selitykseen marks reaching, arriving at, or directing the discussion toward an explanation.

In usage, selitykseen is common in formal and written Finnish, and it is often found in contexts where the discussion or reasoning is moving toward an explanatory conclusion. It is typically used with verbs that imply progression or discovery, such as eteneä (to progress) or päätyä (to end up). For example, the sentence Keskustelu eteni selitykseen means "The discussion progressed toward an explanation." Another example is Päädyimme selitykseen, meaning "We arrived at an explanation."

Grammatically, selitykseen is part of a larger case paradigm for selitys: selitys (nominative), selityksen (genitive), selitystä (partitive), and selitykseen (illative). The illative form is used to indicate direction toward a concept rather than a physical place, functioning similarly to other Finnish illative forms that express reaching a target or outcome. The form is more typical in written or formal discourse and fewer in everyday colloquial speech. Related terms include selitys (explanation) and selitysten (genitive plural).