Vesisateessa

Vesisateessa is a Finnish adverbial phrase meaning “in a rain shower” or “in the rain.” It is used to describe being outdoors or performing an action while heavy rain is falling, often conveying a sense of wetness or inconvenience. The expression signals not just the presence of rain, but that the rain is notable enough to affect the situation being described.

Etymology and grammar: The word combines vesisade, meaning a rain shower, with the inessive suffix -ssa, yielding vesisateessa, literally “in a rain shower.” Vesisi‑ forms are common in Finnish meteorological and descriptive language, where compound nouns are used with case endings to specify the surrounding conditions.

Usage: Vesisateessa appears primarily in descriptive or literary contexts and in weather-related narration. It is less common in formal meteorology and more frequent in journalism, fiction, and everyday speech when a vivid sense of the weather is desired. It may be used to set mood, describe characters’ experiences, or emphasize the impact of rain on activities.

Examples:

- Hän lähti ulos vesisateessa ja otti sateenvarjon mukaan. (He went outside in the rain and took an umbrella.)

- Kaupungin kadut hehkuivat märkinä, kun ihmiset kulkivat vesisateessa. (The city streets glistened wet as people walked in the rain.)

See also: sade (rain), vesitie (waterway), sademäärä (precipitation).