retkillä

Retkillä is the adessive plural form of the Finnish noun retki, meaning a trip or excursion. It is used to express being on or taking part in multiple trips and indicates location or state when the subject is plural. The corresponding singular form is retkellä, which means “on a trip.”

Grammatical notes and usage examples: Retkillä is used with plural subjects and is common with verbs that describe position or ongoing activity, such as olla (to be) or mennä (to go). Examples include: Me olemme retkillä koko viikosta. (We are on trips all week.) Retkillä käytimme oppaita ja pysähdyimme useisiin paikkoihin. (On the trips we used guides and stopped at several places.) In contrast, when referring to a single trip, the form retkellä is used, as in Olemme retkellä tänään. (We are on a trip today.)

Etymology and related forms: Retki is a native Finnish word for a trip or excursion, with inflection following standard Finnish case endings. Related forms include retki, retken (genitive), retkeä (partitive), retkelle (illative singular), and retkiltä (ablative plural). Retkillä specifically denotes multiple trips in the adessive case.

Usage notes: Retkillä is common in travel-related, educational, and youth-group contexts, as well as in everyday language when referring to being away on trips. Its meaning remains clear from context, especially when paired with verbs that describe being away, traveling, or planning excursions.