vuodenajoissa

Vuodenajoissa is a Finnish inessive plural form meaning “in the seasons” and is the inessive case of the noun vuodenajat, which denotes the seasons of the year. The phrase is used when describing something that occurs within the seasonal cycle or across the seasonal periods.

The expression is most common in descriptive or literary language rather than everyday speech. It often appears in references to nature, agriculture, tourism, or historical descriptions, where the emphasis is on how different seasons influence conditions, activities, or phenomena. In more ordinary contexts, speakers may prefer phrases like vuoden aikana or vuodenaikojen aikana to express a similar idea.

Etymology and form: The base term vuodenajat refers to the four seasons, and the inessive plural suffix -ssa/-ssä yields vuodensa(n)ajoissa, producing vuodenajoissa to mean “in the seasons.” The form is primarily a grammatical construction used to situate events or observations in the seasonal cycle, rather than a distinct lexical item with a fixed set of meanings beyond that function.

Examples: In Finnish, one might encounter sentences such as “Sääolosuhteet muuttuvat vuodenajoissa,” meaning “Weather conditions change in the seasons.” Another example: “Matkailijat suunnittelevat retkiä vuodenajoissa ottaen huomioon säät,” meaning “Travelers plan trips in the seasons, taking the weather into account.” A third: “Tämä teos seuraa ihmisten elämää vuodenajoissa,” meaning “This work traces people's lives within the seasons.”