Sisällä

Sisällä is a Finnish locative adverb meaning inside or within a space. It denotes being located in the interior of something or indoors, as opposed to outside. The form is derived from the stem sisä- meaning inner, combined with the locative element, producing sisällä. It is an invariant form that commonly functions with verbs of position or existence.

In practice, sisällä is used to express a location relative to a boundary. For example, Hän on sisällä means “He is inside.” When the boundary is specified, it often appears with a genitive noun phrase, as in talon sisällä (inside the house) or huoneen sisällä (inside the room). The phrase sisällä can also function as a predicate or extend the meaning of other locatives, e.g., Sisällä on lämmin (It is warm inside).

The opposite concept is outside, typically expressed with ulkona or ulkona päin, depending on the nuance. Sisällä is commonly found in everyday speech and writing, both in literal spatial contexts and in figurative senses, such as “within a group” or “within the limits of something” when translated idiomatically.

Notes on usage:

- Talon sisällä emphasizes the interior space of the house, sometimes in contrast to the exterior or to a surrounding area.

- In many cases, talossa (in the house) can replace talon sisällä, but sisällä adds a focus on the interior space itself.

- Sisällä as a stand-alone adverb often appears in sentences about warmth, safety, or activity within a space, e.g., Sisällä on rauhallista.

See also: Finnish locatives, inessive case, on vs in locatives.