Sisälle

Sisälle is a Finnish adverbial form used to express movement toward the interior of a space. It functions as a directional complement similar to the English “into” or “to the inside,” and is commonly described as a postpositional form that denotes entering or entering the interior of something. It is typically used with verbs of motion to indicate entering or bringing something into a place: for example, Lets go inside the house would be “Mennään talon sisälle,” and “Laita kengät sisälle” means “Put the shoes inside.”

In practice, sisälle can occur after a noun in the genitive or with the name of a space to specify the target interior: “talon sisälle” (into the interior of the house), “huoneen sisälle” (into the room). This contrasts with sisällä, which denotes static location meaning “in” or “inside” as a place where something is currently located, rather than a movement toward that interior: “Koiralla on lelu sisällä” (The toy is inside).

There is some overlap with sisään, another form expressing movement into a space; usage preferences can vary by dialect and context. In many contexts both sisälle and sisään may be understood as indicating entering a space, with speakers choosing based on nuance or rhythm of the sentence.

Overall, sisälle is a key part of Finnish directional grammar, used to convey entering the interior of a place, while sisällä describes a location inside that space.