kaivoissa

Kaivoissa is the inessive plural form of the Finnish noun kaivo, meaning well—the hole or shaft used to draw water. It translates as “in the wells” and is used to indicate location inside multiple wells. The corresponding singular form is kaivossa (“in the well”) and the nominative plural is kaivot (“wells”).

Finnish marks the inessive plural with the suffix -issa or -issä; for the stem kaivo, the form is kaivoissa. The singular inessive is kaivossa, while the plural inessive is kaivoissa. The -ssa/-ssä and -issa/-issä endings follow vowel harmony, and the choice between them depends on the final vowel of the stem.

Usage: Kaivoissa occurs in literal descriptions of location inside wells, such as hydrological discussions, archaeology, or storytelling. Example sentences: “Arkeologiset kaivajat löysivät vanhoja esineitä kaivoissa.” (“Archaeological excavators found old objects in the wells.”) “Vesi pysyy alhaalla kaivoissa pitkään.” (“The water stays low in the wells for a long time.”)

See also: kaivo, kaivaminen.