punaisena

Punaisena is a Finnish grammatical form of the adjective punainen, meaning “in red.” It represents the essive case, used to express a temporary state or appearance, such as being dressed or shown as red. The form is typically used to describe how something appears at a given moment or in a particular context.

In practice, punaisena is common in descriptions of clothing, makeup, or other visible appearances. It is formed from punainen by adding the essive suffix -na/-nä, yielding punaisena in the singular. Examples include sentences like Hän pukeutui punaisena (She dressed in red) and Omenat olivat punaisina pöydällä (The apples were red on the table). The essive emphasizes a current, perceivable state rather than a permanent property.

Finnish also has a translative form of the color—punaiseksi—which expresses becoming red or turning red (to become red). The distinction matters: punaisena denotes an observed state or appearance, while punaiseksi signals a change of state.

Etymology: punaisena derives from punainen with the essive suffix -na/-nä. Related forms include punainen (base adjective) and punaiseksi (translative). Plural essive is punaisina.

See also: color terminology in Finnish, essive case, Finnish grammar, adjectives and noun phrases describing color.