pöytällä

Pöytällä is the adessive singular form of the Finnish noun pöytä, meaning on the table. It denotes location on the surface of a table or another flat object and is used to describe where something is placed or located.

In Finnish grammar, pöytällä belongs to the locative case, specifically the adessive, which is used for static location on a surface. The plural form is pöydillä, meaning on the tables. Other related forms include the nominative pöytä (table) and the genitive pöydän (of the table).

Usage and examples can be found in everyday language. For instance: Kirja on pöydällä. (The book is on the table.) Kynät ovat pöydillä. (The pens are on the tables.) Lapsi istuu pöydällä. (The child sits on the table.) These examples illustrate how pöytällä marks a surface-level location rather than interior position or movement, which would use other cases such as in or into.

Pöytällä is commonly used in contexts involving placement of objects, meals, workspaces, and demonstrations. It is also compatible with figurative or extended meanings, such as listing items on a workspace or indicating where an action takes place. In contrast to expressions like pöydän päällä, which can emphasize the surface itself, pöytällä generally conveys the location succinctly as “on the table.”