ajankohtana

Ajankohtana is a Finnish noun formed from ajankohta, meaning a point in time, moment or occasion. The suffix -na/-nä in Finnish commonly marks a role or capacity, so ajankohtana conveys the idea of “as a time” or “at the time.” In practice, ajankohtana is used to refer to a specific time frame or to describe something as it existed or occurred during a particular period. It is often employed to indicate temporal context in formal or written Finnish, such as journalism, historical writing, or analytical prose.

Usage and meaning. Ajankohtana can function to render English equivalents such as “as of,” “at the time,” or “during the period.” It helps situate statements, events, or observations within a defined temporal frame. The exact grammatical form adapts like a normal noun within sentences, with case endings determined by Finnish grammar. It frequently appears in constructions that specify when something happened or during what period a situation was in effect.

Relationship to related words. The root ajankohta means time, moment or occasion, while ajankohtainen means current or topical, and ajankohtaisuus refers to topicality. Ajankohtana shares the core sense of time reference but emphasizes the role or status of something as occurring at a particular time.

Examples. “Keskustelu käytiin ajankohtana, jolloin tilanne oli kriittinen.” “Ajankohtana 1999–2005 Suomessa tapahtui monia rakennemuutoksia.” These usages illustrate how ajankohtana marks the temporal context of events or statements.

In summary, ajankohtana is a formal Finnish noun that specifies time-related context, typically translating to “as of,” “at the time,” or “during the period,” and is commonly found in written and analytic Finnish.