valinnoissaan

Valinnoissaan is a Finnish adverbial noun form meaning “in one’s choices” or “in the matter of choices.” It is derived from the noun valinta (choice) with the possessive and inessive endings that together convey the speaker’s reference to the subject’s state or stance as expressed through their decisions. The construction is primarily literary and formal, and it appears in written Finnish such as essays, journalism, and opinion pieces rather than everyday spoken language.

Meaning and use

Valinnoissaan denotes a focus on the way someone makes or stands by their selections. It can describe a person’s approach to decisions, or characterize a body of choices as reflecting a particular attitude, principle, or strategy. As a grammatical form, it functions as part of a sentence’s predicate, often in constructions that compare, evaluate, or explain a given stance taken by the subject.

Usage notes

- The expression is more common in written or formal registers and can carry a sense of deliberation or philosophical framing of choices.

- It is typically used with verbs of thinking, choosing, or evaluating, or with adjectives that describe a stance, e.g., “valinnoissaan harkitseva” (careful in one’s choices) or “valinnoissaan linjannut” (has outlined a line of choices).

- The form is a compound rather than a standalone lexical item; similar formations can be created with different nouns to convey “in one’s X” where X is a state related to the noun.

See also

valinta, päätöksenteko, kielioppi.