silmissä

Silmissä is a Finnish grammatical form meaning “in the eyes.” It represents the location case and is used to describe something located within or visible in someone’s eyes. The word combines the plural noun for eyes with the inessive suffix.

Form and related forms: The base noun is silmä (eye). In plural the nominative is silmät (eyes). To express “in the eyes” you add the inessive plural suffix -ssä to the plural form, yielding silmissä. The singular inessive form is silmässä, and the possessive construction for “in his/her eyes” is silmissään.

Usage: Silmissä is common in everyday language, journalism, and literature to indicate what is seen in someone’s eyes or to describe a visual or emotional quality perceived there. It can refer to physical phenomena, such as reflections or glints, as well as to metaphorical content like emotions or intentions that seem to reside in someone’s eyes. Example sentences include: Silmissä oli pelko. (There was fear in the eyes.) Silmissä vilkkuu toive. (A wish flickers in the eyes.)

Semantic and stylistic notes: The phrase often appears in descriptive prose and poetry to convey immediacy and imagery. It is distinct from phrases using possessive forms such as silmässään or silmiensä, which attach the possessive to the eyes of a specific subject. Silmissä emphasizes the location itself and is flexible for general or impersonal description.

See also: silmä (eye), silmät (eyes), inessive case, Finnish grammar.