aikana / avulla

During and by Means of

Level 4

Aikana (during) and avulla (by means of) are postpositions that follow a noun in the genitive case.

How It Works

Finnish uses postpositions to express relationships that English often handles with prepositions. Both aikana and avulla require the preceding word to be in the genitive case.

1. Aikana (During)
Derived from the word aika (time) in the essive case. It indicates that an action occurs within the duration of an event or period. It locates an action within that period, rather than by itself measuring its duration. For continuous duration, compare loman ajan (throughout the holiday) and kolmen vuoden ajan (for three years). The action with aikana need not be a single moment: context can place a repeated or lasting activity within the period.

  • Loman aikana = During the holiday
  • Yön aikana = During the night

Note that aikana has a plural form aikoina (plural essive), which is used for broader eras or recurring periods: sodan aikoina (during the times of the war).

2. Avulla (By means of / With the help of)
Derived from apu (help) in the adessive case: the weak stem is avu-, with p → v, giving avu-lla. While the adessive case alone is used for simple tools (like a pen), avulla is used for more complex methods, abstract aids, or human assistance.

  • Sanakirjan avulla = With the help of a dictionary
  • Ystävän avulla = With the help of a friend

3. Consonant Gradation
Because these postpositions require the genitive case, you must remember to apply consonant gradation to the noun. Strong consonants (k, p, t) will usually weaken:

  • Pankki (bank) → Pankin avulla (With the help of the bank)
  • Sota (war) → Sodan aikana (During the war)

4. Personal Pronouns
In standard Finnish, when using these postpositions with personal pronouns, you must include a possessive suffix. In the 1st and 2nd person, the pronoun itself is optional. In the 3rd person, the pronoun is mandatory unless it refers back to the subject of the sentence. For the 3rd person suffix, the lengthened final vowel plus -n (-Vn) is the primary standard written form when attached to short vowels (like the -na in aikana and -lla in avulla). The alternative -nsa/-nsä is also possible, but aikanaan and avullaan are the usual forms to learn first.

  • (Minun) avullani = With my help
  • Hänen aikanaan = In his/her time
  • Heidän avullaan = With their help

5. Spoken Finnish (Puhekieli)
In everyday spoken Finnish, possessive suffixes are often omitted, with a genitive pronoun expressing the possessor instead:

  • Mun avulla = With my help
  • Sen aikana = During its/that time

Se/sen can refer to a person in everyday speech as well as to a thing. However, sen aikana is also entirely standard when sen means “of that event/period”; it is not exclusively colloquial.

Examples (5)

  1. Loman aikana luin monta hyvää kirjaa.

    During the holiday, I read many good books.

    Word by Word: Holiday's during I-read many good books.

    Loman is the genitive form of loma (holiday).

  2. Sain uuden työpaikan ystäväni avulla.

    I got a new job with the help of my friend.

    Word by Word: I-got new job friend-my with-help-of.

    Ystäväni is a possessive form used in the genitive position before avulla. A separate genitive -n is not added before -ni.

  3. Hän selvisi vaikeuksista sisun avulla.

    He survived the difficulties by means of grit (sisu).

    Word by Word: He survived difficulties sisu's with-help-of.

    Avulla is used here for an abstract quality (sisu) used as a means to succeed.

  4. Kokouksen aikana ei saa puhua puhelimeen.

    During the meeting, one must not talk on the phone.

    Word by Word: Meeting's during not may talk phone-into.

    Aikana defines the specific timeframe (the meeting) where the rule applies.

  5. Löysimme perille kartan avulla.

    We found our way there with the help of a map.

    Word by Word: We-found to-destination map's with-help-of.

    Kartan is the genitive of kartta (map), showing the instrument used.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative case instead of the genitive before the postposition.

    Loma aikana luin kirjan.
    Loman aikana luin kirjan.

    Postpositions like aikana and avulla always require the preceding noun to be in the genitive case (-n).

  • Using 'aikana' to express a continuous duration (for X time).

    Different MeaningAsuin Suomessa kolmen vuoden aikana.
    Asuin Suomessa kolme vuotta.

    To state continuous duration, use kolme vuotta or kolmen vuoden ajan. A phrase with aikana instead locates events within those years; it is not inherently ungrammatical, but does not express the intended duration here.

  • Forgetting the possessive suffix when using personal pronouns.

    Minun avulla.
    Minun avullani.

    In standard Finnish, when a postposition follows a personal pronoun, the corresponding possessive suffix must be added to the postposition.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

aikana / avullaLevel 4During and by Means of

Learn This First

To use 'aikana' (during) and 'avulla' (by means of), you must first understand how to form the genitive case (-n) and how Finnish postpositions function as words that follow the noun they modify.

Words in This Pattern

aikana