minuutissa

Minuutissa is the inessive singular form of the Finnish noun minuutti, meaning minute. In Finnish, the inessive case marks location inside or within something, so minuutissa translates roughly to “in a minute” or “within a minute” when used with time.

Usage and meaning

Minuutissa is used in time-related expressions to indicate that an action or event occurs during or within a one-minute interval. In practice, speakers often use more common constructions for precise timing, such as minuutin kuluttua to mean “in a minute from now” or after a short interval, or alle minuutissa to mean “in under a minute.” The form minuutissa can also appear in contexts describing an ongoing moment within that one-minute span, though such usage is less frequent in everyday speech than alternative phrasings.

Grammar note

Minuutissa is formed from the base noun minuutti (minute) by adding the inessive suffix -ssa/-ssä. The related genitive form minuutin is used in phrases that specify a quantity of time, such as minuutin kuluttua (after one minute). Plural forms exist (minuuttien) for other time expressions, but they differ from the singular inessive usage discussed here.

Relation to common expressions

While minuutissa exists as a legitimate grammatical form, Finnish speakers typically rely on other common phrases for time references, especially when indicating future moments (minuutin kuluttua) or short durations (alle minuutissa). Minuutissa remains a useful grammatical illustration of how the Finnish time vocabulary inflects with case endings.

See also

Minuutti, minuutin kuluttua, alle minuutissa.