aiemmin

Aiemmin is a Finnish adverb meaning previously, earlier, or before now. It is used to refer to a time point that is before the current moment or before a previously mentioned event, statement, or situation. In everyday and written Finnish, aiemmin helps situate actions or information in a prior temporal context.

Grammatically, aiemmin is the adverbial form related to the adjective aiempi, which means earlier or former. It commonly appears before verbs or within clauses to anchor a temporal reference. Examples include: Olin aiemmin täällä (I was here earlier), Olen aiemmin puhunut tästä (I have previously spoken about this), and Aiemmin en tiennyt (I didn’t know before). Aiemmin can also participate in passive or perfect constructions, as is typical for time adverbs in Finnish.

Usage and nuance distinguish aiemmin from related words. Ennen primarily means “before” in a more general sense and can be used with nouns or time expressions. Aikaisemmin is closer to “earlier” in sense and is often perceived as more formal or narrative. The phrase aiemmin mainittu, meaning “the aforementioned earlier,” is a common collocation. In most everyday contexts, aiemmin conveys a natural, straightforward reference to prior time, whereas aiemmat or aikaisemmin may appear in more formal writing.

Etymology links aiemmin to the time-related adjective aiempi, with both forms serving to express temporal sequences. It is not a proper noun and does not denote a brand, organization, or specific entity.