keskuksenä

Keskuksenä is a Finnish noun form that expresses the role or function of a center. It relates to the essive case, used to answer questions such as "in what capacity?" or "as what?" with a noun like keskus (center). The most common form for this sense is keskuksena, meaning "as a center."

The form keskuksenä exists but is uncommon in modern standard Finnish. It is generally regarded as nonstandard or historical and is rarely used in contemporary writing or speech. In typical usage, speakers prefer keskuksena to convey "as the center." Some grammars note that keskuksenä can appear in older texts or in dialectal varieties, but it is not productive in standard Finnish today.

Examples in standard Finnish include: "Kaupungin hallinto toimi keskuksena koko tapahtuman koordinoinnissa." and "Keskuksena toiminut neuvosto vastasi suunnittelusta." These illustrate the common essive usage, where the center is the role or function being described.

Usage notes: The essive, marked by -na/-nä, denotes a temporary state or role. For the sense "as the center," the typical and preferred form is keskuksena. Keskuksenä is not part of everyday standard usage and may appear only in historical, regional, or erroneous contexts. In most contemporary texts, keskuksena is the recommended form.