varhaisissa

Varhaisissa is a Finnish grammatical form derived from the adjective varhainen, meaning “early.” It functions as the inessive plural form and is used to describe a plural noun in the sense of “in the early [times/stages].” In practice, varhaisissa appears in contexts where a plural noun is implied or stated, often as part of a longer phrase such as varhaisissa vaiheissa or varhaisissa tutkimuksissa.

As a part of Finnish adjective declension, varhaisissa follows the regular pattern for adjectives ending in -inen when inflected for case and number. The inessive plural suffix -issa/-issä expresses location in a non-spatial sense, roughly corresponding to “in” or “during” in English, applied to a plural noun. For example, varhaisissa vaiheissa means “in the early stages,” and varhaisissa tutkimuksissa means “in the early studies.”

Usage of varhaisissa is common in formal and academic Finnish, especially in historical, developmental, or chronological descriptions. It emphasizes an early temporal or developmental phase relative to a referenced point or period. It can be found in scholarly prose, timelines, and descriptive passages that discuss stages of processes, growth, or research.

Related terms include varhaisin (earliest), varhainen (early), and varhaiskasvatus (early childhood education). While varhaisissa itself is a grammatical form, its interpretation relies on the noun it modifies, making it a flexible tool for articulating temporal origins in plural contexts.