Yleissään

Yleissään is a Finnish adverb meaning in general, on the whole, or generally speaking. It is used to indicate a broad or overall assessment rather than a statement about a single case. The word is relatively neutral and common in written Finnish, including journalism, academic writing, policy discussions, and formal speech.

Usage and nuance

Yleissään introduces a generalizer and often precedes the clause it scopes. It can soften claims by framing them as broadly applicable: for example, yleissään tilanne on parantunut means that the overall situation has improved, though there may be exceptions. The term is closely related to yleisesti (generally) and yleisesti ottaen, but yleissään tends to emphasize a general character of a situation rather than a specific rule or frequent occurrence. In everyday speech, speakers may opt for more common alternatives such as yleisesti or yleensä, depending on tone and formality.

Grammatical notes

As an adverb, yleissään does not inflect; it functions within the sentence to frame the ensuing proposition. It is considered more formal and is frequently found in written or formal spoken Finnish. In casual conversation, other expressions for generalization might be preferred.

Examples

- Yleissään tutkimus osoittaa, että ohjelma on vaikuttanut myönteisesti, vaikka yksittäisiä poikkeuksia esiintyy.

- Yleissään koulutuksen laatu on parantunut viime vuosina.

- Yrityksen tulokset ovat yleissään paremmat kuin vuosi sitten, mutta kustannukset ovat kohoaneet.

Etymology

Yleissään derives from yleinen (general) and functions as an adverbial form to express broad applicability of a statement.

See also

yleinen, yleisesti, yleensä, yleisesti ottaen

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