Yöllä

Yöllä is the adessive singular form of the Finnish noun yö, meaning night. It functions as a temporal expression and translates to “at night” or “during the night.” It is used to indicate when something happens or is true, typically with verbs of action, state, or occurrence.

Form and usage: In Finnish, time expressions like yöllä, aamulla (in the morning) and illalla (in the evening) are formed with the adessive case. The stem yö combines with the suffix -llä to produce yöllä, and the written form includes a doubled consonant (yöllä). This form marks the time frame for the event or condition described.

Examples:

- Nukutaan yöllä. (We sleep at night.)

- Yöllä on hiljaista. (At night it is quiet.)

- Kaupungin valot loistavat yöllä. (The city lights shine at night.)

Nuances and related phrases: Yöllä is used for general nighttime references; more specific expressions include keskellä yötä (in the middle of the night) and yön yli (overnight, over the course of the night). It contrasts with other time-of-day forms such as aamulla, illalla, and päivällä (during the day). In literature and everyday speech, yöllä can convey mood or atmosphere associated with darkness, quiet, or events occurring after sunset.

See also: Yö (night), Aamulla (in the morning), Illalla (in the evening), Keskellä yötä (in the middle of the night). Translations into other languages vary; in English the corresponding phrase is typically “at night” or “during the night.”

---