useita

Useita is a Finnish quantifier meaning several or a number of. It functions as a determiner that modifies plural nouns and is used to express an indefinite, non-specific quantity. In standard Finnish, useita appears with a noun in the partitive case, for example useita ihmisiä, signaling that the exact count is not stated.

Grammatical role and usage: Useita cannot stand alone as a noun; it relies on a following noun. It is commonly placed before the noun or part of a larger noun phrase. The form conveys a sense of more than a few but not a precise total, making it useful in descriptive writing, reporting, and everyday speech where exact numbers are unnecessary or unknown.

Usage notes: Useita is flexible across registers and often contrasts with other quantifiers such as monia (many) or joitakin (some). It can combine with larger numerical expressions to indicate approximate scales, for example useita kymmeniä ihmisiä (several tens of people). The choice between useita and other qualifiers depends on the speaker’s nuance about quantity and specificity.

Examples: Useita kirjoja (several books); useita vuosia (several years); useita kymmeniä ihmisiä (several tens of people).

Etymology: The word derives from the Finnish root usea, meaning many, with inflection to form the partitive plural used before nouns.

In summary, useita is a common Finnish determiner for non-specific, plural quantities, used before a noun in the partitive case to indicate “several” without giving a precise count.