viikonpäivinä

Viikonpäivinä is a Finnish grammatical form referring to the days of the week in the essive plural. The term is derived from viikonpäivä (week day) and the essive case suffix -inä, which marks state or role, roughly translated as “as weekdays” or “on weekdays.” The form is used to describe something that occurs or applies during the weekdays as a general category, often in contrast to weekends.

In practice, viikonpäivinä is most common in written Finnish or in contexts that emphasize a recurring pattern across the week. It conveys a sense of regularity tied to the working week, rather than to specific dates. Because the essive plural can feel formal, everyday speech often uses synonyms such as arkisin (on weekdays) or viikopäivisin, but arkisin is the more common everyday expression.

Usage considerations include the nuance that viikonpäivinä emphasizes the role or state “as weekdays” rather than simply listing days. For practical timing, speakers frequently supplement or replace it with more colloquial expressions depending on registers and clarity.

Examples:

- Palvelut ovat käytettävissä viikonpäivinä klo 9–17. (The services are available on weekdays from 9 to 5.)

- Toimistomme sulkee ovensa viikonpäivinä kello 18 mennessä. (Our office closes on weekdays by 6 p.m.)

See also: days of the week, arkisin, essive case.