työllään

The Finnish word "työllään" is a grammatical form derived from the noun "työ," meaning work or job. Specifically, "työllään" is the adessive case of the possessive suffix "-nsä," which indicates "his," "her," "its," or "their." Therefore, "työllään" translates to "at his/her/its/their work" or "in his/her/its/their job."

This form is used to describe an action or state that is occurring while someone is engaged in their work. For instance, one might say "Hän oli työllään, kun puhelin soi," which translates to "He/She was at his/her work when the phone rang." The possessive suffix "-nsä" is essential here, as it specifies whose work is being referred to, even though the pronoun may not be explicitly stated in the sentence. The adessive case "llään" indicates location or the state of being at a place or engaged in an activity.

In practice, "työllään" is a common and natural expression in Finnish, used in everyday conversation and writing to convey that someone is occupied with their professional duties. It emphasizes the context of their current activity being their employment. The precise meaning of "his/her/its/their" is usually understood from the preceding context or the subject of the sentence.