Todellisessa

Todellisessa is the inessive singular form of the Finnish adjective todellinen, meaning real or true. It is used to describe a noun in the inessive case, most often in phrases such as todellisessa elämässä or todellisessa maailmassa, where the sense is “in real life” or “in the real world.” The form appears before a noun in the -ssa/-ssä case or, in compound expressions, before a noun in the inessive form.

Etymology and meaning: todellinen derives from the Finnish root relating to reality or truth, connected to the noun todellisuus (reality) and the concept of totuus (truth). The adjective conveys authenticity, genuineness, or accordance with reality. The inessive form todellisessa is created by adding the -ssa suffix to the adjective’s stem, in line with Finnish adjective agreement rules.

Usage and grammar: Finnish adjectives agree with the noun they modify in number and case. Therefore, todellinen changes as nouns change, producing forms such as todellisessa (inessive singular), todelliset (nominative plural), todellisissa (inessive plural), and so on. In practical use, todellisessa commonly appears in a fixed expression meaning “in real life” or “in the real world,” differentiating everyday experiences from online or hypothetical contexts.

Examples:

- todellisessa elämässä = in real life

- todellisessa maailmassa = in the real world

- todellisessa kontekstissa = in the real context

See also: Finnish grammar, adjective declension, inessive case.

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