Toimijalla

Toimijalla is the adessive form of the Finnish noun toimija, meaning “actor,” “agent,” or “participant.” As a grammatical form, toimijalla is used to indicate location or association with the actor in a sentence, such as “the actor has responsibility” or “with the actor present.”

In everyday Finnish, the adessive case is commonly used to express possession, responsibility, or involvement by the subject. For example: Toimijalla on vastuu päätöksestä (The actor has responsibility for the decision). Toimijoilla on erilaiset roolit hankkeessa (The actors have different roles in the project). The plural form is toimijoilla, and the singular form is toimijalla.

In discourse and analysis, toimija (the base form) is widely used to refer to an agent or participant in a process. In social sciences, the term toimija appears in discussions of agency, networks, and collaboration, including Finnish translations of concepts such as actor-network theory. In such contexts, toimijalla functions as a normal inflected form used within Finnish syntax rather than as a standalone theoretical label.

Notes on usage: Like other Finnish noun forms, toimijalla changes with number and case. It is not a distinct concept beyond its role as the adessive form of toimija; its meaning depends on the surrounding sentence, typically indicating that the actor is involved, located, or possesses something.