sekunnilla

Sekunnilla is a Finnish adverbial form derived from the noun sekunti, the unit of time equal to one sixty-fourth of a minute. In Finnish, sekunnilla is used to express a very short time window, roughly translating to “in seconds” or “in a second” in English. The term commonly appears in spoken language and contemporary writing to emphasize speed or immediacy.

Grammatically, sekunnilla is formed by adding the adessive suffix -lla to sekunti, creating a time-related adverbial phrase. It is used to indicate when something happens or how soon it occurs, often in contexts describing rapid action or brief duration. In more formal Finnish, speakers may opt for other expressions such as sekunnin ajan ("for a second") or sekunnin sisällä ("within a second").

Usage is largely conversational and journalistic. The phrase conveys a sense of near-instantaneous timing and is typically used for events that unfold quickly, such as reactions, updates, or demonstrations. Because it is informal, sekunnilla may be less common in highly technical or legal texts where precise timing is required.

Related terms include sekunti (the base unit), sekunnin ajan, and sekunnin sisällä, which share related temporal meanings and help express different aspects of short durations.