selkeänä

Selkeänä is a Finnish grammatical form of the adjective selkeä, meaning clear or easy to understand. It is the adessive singular form and is used to describe a state or appearance of a subject, often in predicative constructions, with the nuance of “in a clear way” or “as clear.” It is distinct from the translative form selkeäksi, which signals a change of state toward clarity (to become clear).

In usage, selkeänä commonly appears in written Finnish, literary styles, or formal descriptions. It may describe perceptual clarity, intelligibility, or transparent presentation in a way that emphasizes the subject’s current state rather than an inherent, permanent property. The form can appear after verbs such as olla (to be) or in idiomatic expressions that convey how something is perceived at a given moment.

Etymology-wise, selkeänä is derived from selkeä through the regular inflection patterns of Finnish adjectives, with the adessive case ending -na/-nä. The distinction between selkeänä and selkeäksi (translative) is functionally important: selkeänä expresses a state or appearance, while selkeäksi indicates a change toward being clear.

Examples:

- Taivas oli selkeänä illalla, eikä pilviä näkynyt. (The sky was clear and cloudless in the evening.)

- Esitys pidettiin selkeänä, jotta yleisö ymmärsi salausongelman. (The presentation was kept clear so that the audience would understand the problem.)

See also: Finnish grammar, adjectives, case endings, adessive, translative.