kuorissa

Kuorissa is a Finnish word that functions as the inessive plural form of the nouns kuoro (choir) and kuori (shell). In practice, kuorissa is most commonly read as “in the choirs” when used with kuoro, but it can also mean “in the shells” when kuori is meant. Because Finnish relies on case endings rather than prepositions, the same form kuorissa can carry either meaning, and context determines the intended reading.

Grammatical role and formation: The inessive case expresses location “in” or “inside.” For plural forms, the suffix is -issa, so kuoro becomes kuorissa (in the choirs) and kuori becomes kuorissa (in the shells). The spelling is identical, which can occasionally require attention to surrounding words to resolve ambiguity. This form is common in everyday language as well as in literature and music discourse.

Usage examples: For choirs, one might say, “Hän lauloi kuorissa nuoruudessaan,” meaning he sang in choirs during his youth. For shells, a sentence such as “Simpukat elävät kuorissaan” expresses that the mollusks live within their shells. In both senses, kuorissa serves to locate activity or existence within multiple groups or containers.

See also: Kuoro, kuori, Finnish grammar, inessive case.

Overall, kuorissa is a versatile locative plural form in Finnish, most often encountered in discussions of choral singing but also applicable to shells, with context guiding interpretation.