epämukavat

Epämukavat is Finnish, functioning as the plural form of the adjective epämukava, which means uncomfortable or unpleasant. It is used to describe things, conditions, or experiences that cause discomfort or are not comfortable. The word can be used both attributively (epämukavat kengät = uncomfortable shoes) and predicatively (Kengät ovat epämukavat = The shoes are uncomfortable).

Etymology and form: Epämukava is formed from the root mukava, meaning comfortable, with the negating prefix epä- added to create the opposite meaning. The plural form epämukavat corresponds to a plural subject or object in a sentence. Finnish adjectives agree in number with the nouns they modify, so epämukavat changes to match plural nouns.

Usage: Epämukavat is common in everyday Finnish and in formal writing when describing non-pleasant physical conditions, sensations, or situations. It can refer to physical discomfort (epämukavat kengät), environmental conditions (epämukavat olosuhteet), or personal feelings (epämukava olo). The noun epämukavuus denotes the state or experience of discomfort, providing a related term for more abstract use.

See also: mukava, epämukavuus, ergonomia.

Examples: Epämukavat olosuhteet hidastivat retken etenemistä. Epämukavat kengät aiheuttivat polvitaipeen kipeytymistä. Tilanne on epämukava, ja haluamme muuttaa suunnitelmia.