ruokakaupassa

Ruokakaupassa is the inessive form of ruokakauppa, the Finnish word for a grocery store. It denotes location inside or at the grocery store and is formed by combining the compound noun ruokakauppa (food store) with the inessive suffix -ssa.

In usage, ruokakaupassa answers the question where. Example sentences include: "Ostin maitoa ruokakaupassa." (I bought milk at the grocery store.) "Ruokakaupassa on paljon hyllyjä." (The grocery store has many shelves.) The form is commonly used in everyday speech to describe actions performed inside or at the store.

The word is part of the Finnish case system. It contrasts with ruokakauppaan, which means "to the grocery store" (allative/destination). Other related forms include ruokakaupan (genitive, "of the grocery store" or "the grocery store's") and kaupassa, which can refer to being at a store in a more general sense when the specific type of store is not stated.

The root ruokakauppa is a compound of ruo- from ruoka (food) and kauppa (shop). The suffix -ssa indicates location, consistent with other inessive forms such as talossa (in the house) or kaupungissa (in the city).

In everyday Finnish, ruokakaupassa is widely used to specify location in descriptions, shopping, travel, and reporting. It reflects the language’s tendency to form precise meanings through compound nouns and case endings.

See also: ruokakauppa, Finnish grammar, inessive case.