neljänä

Neljänä is a Finnish numeral form derived from the cardinal number neljä (four). It denotes fourth in a sequence or position and is used with nouns to express time or order. Like other Finnish numerals, neljänä is inflected to agree with the noun it modifies, so its exact form changes with case and number. The form neljänä is the adverbial/ordinal variant used in contexts where four is described as a position in time or sequence, such as marking a particular occurrence within a set. It can appear in phrases meaning “on the fourth [day/week/etc.]” or “in the fourth instance.”

Neljänä is distinct from neljäs, which is the base ordinal used directly before a noun in the nominative, e.g., neljäs päivä (the fourth day). However, neljänä may appear in more formal or literary styles, or in idiomatic expressions that require an adverbial or case-marked form. Finnish numbers function like adjectives and have multiple inflected forms to indicate different grammatical relations; neljänä is one such form used specifically for ordinal reference in certain constructions.

In usage, neljänä tends to occur in written language, historical or ceremonial contexts, or where precision in sequence or timing is emphasized. For everyday speech, speakers often opt for other, simpler ordinal forms or rephrase to avoid less common inflected variants.

See also: Finnish numerals, ordinal numbers in Finnish, Finnish grammar.