Epäilen

Epäilen is a Finnish verb meaning “to doubt” or “to be skeptical.” It expresses personal doubt about a statement, a claim, or a planned action. The form shown here is the first-person singular present indicative: minä epäilen.

Grammatical notes: Epäillä is a regular verb in modern Finnish. Present tense forms are: minä epäilen, sinä epäilet, hän epäilee, me epäilemme, te epäilette, he epäilevät. The verb can introduce a content clause with että: “Epäilen, että hän sanoo totuuden.” It also has imperfect and perfect forms, such as epäilin (I doubted) and Olen epäillyt (I have doubted).

Usage and nuance: Epäillä is used to express doubt about facts, statements, or motives, ranging from mild skepticism to stronger suspicion depending on context. It is common in everyday speech and in analytic or investigative writing to indicate uncertainty about a proposition rather than to assert its falsehood. Epäillä can take a subordinate clause beginning with että, or it can be used with a noun phrase referring to the thing that is doubted, though the latter is less common than the clause form.

Etymology and related terms: The word stems from the prefix epä- meaning “not” or “un-” plus the verb stem epäillä. Related words include epäily (doubt, suspicion), epäilijä (skeptic), and epäilevä (doubtful or skeptical as an adjective).

See also: Finnish verbs of doubt and related nominal forms used to discuss uncertainty and verification in language and logic.