Esitelmän

Esitelmä is a Finnish noun referring to a prepared oral presentation delivered to an audience. In educational and professional settings, an esitelmä conveys information on a topic, supported by facts and sources. The genitive form esitelmän means “the presentation’s” or “of the presentation.”

The word derives from the verb esitellä (to present) with the nominalizing suffix -mä; it has plural esitelmät and genitive esitelmän. In everyday Finnish, esitelmä often implies a structured, prepared talk, typically shorter than a lecture (luento) but more formal than a casual speech.

Usage and preparation: In schools and universities, students prepare esitelmä on a chosen topic, present it orally, and may use visual aids such as slides or handouts. The talk is usually assessed on content, organization, delivery, and use of sources. A typical esitelmä includes an introduction, main points, conclusion, and references, with emphasis on clarity, accuracy, and appropriate sourcing.

Relationship to related terms: Esitelmä sits between an informal speech (puhe) and a broader lecture or presentation (esitys); it denotes a specific, prepared oral presentation rather than a general talk. In practice, esitelmä is a common form of assessment and communication in Finnish education and some professional settings.