kertaistui

Kertaistui is a rarely attested Finnish verb form that appears to be a compound of kerta- meaning “one time” or “on one occasion” and istua meaning “to sit.” It is not part of standard Finnish and is mainly encountered in dialectal or historical texts. In linguistic descriptions, kertaistui is treated as the past tense third-person singular form of a hypothetical verb kertaistua, whose meaning would be “to sit down for a single occasion” or “to take a seat briefly.”

Usage and attestation: Because it is uncommon, there are few or no contemporary examples in modern writing. When it appears, it tends to be in dialect dictionaries, folk songs, or literary uses that seek to evoke archaism or regional color. In standard Finnish, speakers would typically express the idea with more common constructions, or by using phrases such as “istua kerran” or “istua vain kerran” rather than a dedicated verb form.

Etymology and related forms: The form combines kerta- with istua, and the surface resemblance to ordinary verbs has led some lexicographers to note it as a potential but not widely adopted verb. Related common words include istua (to sit) and kerta (time, occasion).

See also: istua, kerta, Finnish dialects.