etupuolella

Etupuolella is a Finnish locative expression meaning "on the front side of" or "in front of." It describes the position of one object relative to another and is commonly used in everyday language, maps, directions, and signage.

The word is built from etu (front) and puoli (side) to form etupuoli (front side). The suffix -lla marks location in the adessive case, yielding etupuolella, literally meaning "on the front side." When referencing a different object, that reference noun is typically in the genitive, as in talon etupuolella ("on the front side of the house").

Usage: Etupuolella is used to indicate a position on the front-facing surface of something, rather than a general in-front-of relation. It can be used alongside or instead of edessä in some contexts, but etupuolella often conveys a more surface-oriented relationship. Its correlative forms include takapuolella (on the back side) and edessä (in front of).

Examples: Talon etupuolella on pysäköintialue. Kynnyksen etupuolella on matto. Kaupan etupuolella on opaste. These examples illustrate how etupuolella combines with a noun in genitive to specify what object’s front side is being referred to.

See also: etupuoli, edessä, takapuolella.