# ajan kuluessa



## Gavril

When you use the phrase _ajan kuluessa_, how much time is usually implied by the word _aika_?

For example, if I said, "Ajan kuluessa olen alkanut pitää Aaposta enemmän", could this mean that I have begun to like Aapo more

- during the past 24 hours?
- during the last week or month?
- over the last several months?
- over the last few years?

This question may not have a definite answer. The English phrase "over time" (E.g., "Over time, I've begun to like him") can be used to talk about long periods of time, e.g., several years, but I wouldn't use it to talk about a period of only a week, perhaps not even several months.


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## JukkaT

In my opinion:

(- over the last several months) maybe.
- over the last few years.

But I would use "aikaa myöten"---> Aikaa myöten olen alkanut pitää Aaposta enemmän.

In plural: aikojen kuluessa = over very long period of time (decades, centuries, millenniums).


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## Hakro

Gavril said:


> When you use the phrase _ajan kuluessa_, how much time is usually implied by the word _aika_?


I think that it depends totally on the context, here some extreme examples:

- Dinosaurusten valtakausi kesti 160 miljoonaa vuotta. Ajan kuluessa ne kehittyivät yhä suuremmiksi ja suuremmiksi.
- Tietokilpailun osanottajan piti antaa vastaus 15 sekunnissa. Ajan kuluessa hän ehti miettiä useita vaihtoehtoja.


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## JukkaT

Hakro said:


> I think that it depends totally on the context, here some extreme examples:
> 
> - Dinosaurusten valtakausi kesti 160 miljoonaa vuotta. Ajan kuluessa ne kehittyivät yhä suuremmiksi ja suuremmiksi.
> - Tietokilpailun osanottajan piti antaa vastaus 15 sekunnissa. Ajan kuluessa hän ehti miettiä useita vaihtoehtoja.


I agree. But in the context that Gavril gave, I would say it's quite long period of time (>1 year). And of course it depends on how long have you known Aapo (If you have known him for 6 months, then "ajan kuluessa" means that six month period and so on).


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## Hakro

JukkaT said:


> But in the context that Gavril gave, I would say it's quite long period of time (>1 year). And of course it depends on how long have you known Aapo (If you have known him for 6 months, then "ajan kuluessa" means that six month period and so on).


In English "over the time" means a long period but in Finnish "ajan kuluessa" can be much shorter. I'd say that knowing Aapo for just half an hour can be enough:

_- Aapo nousi junaan puoli tuntia sitten Riihimäellä ja istuutui viereeni. Aluksi hän vaikutti epäystävälliseltä mutta ajan kuluessa olen alkanut pitää Aaposta enemmän_.


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## Gavril

Hakro said:


> In English "over the time" means a long period but in Finnish "ajan kuluessa" can be much shorter. I'd say that knowing Aapo for just half an hour can be enough:
> 
> _- Aapo nousi junaan puoli tuntia sitten Riihimäellä ja istuutui viereeni. Aluksi hän vaikutti epäystävälliseltä mutta ajan kuluessa olen alkanut pitää Aaposta enemmän_.



What about _aikaa myöten?_ Would that suggest a period longer than a half hour/week/month etc.?


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## Hakro

Gavril said:


> What about _aikaa myöten?_ Would that suggest a period longer than a half hour/week/month etc.?


I think that I wouldn't use _aikaa myöten_ for a period of half an hour but it doesn't sound very strange to me either if somebody says so. I would use it mostly for several months or rather for several years, but as I said, in certain contexts it's OK for half an hour – but not for 15 seconds!


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