Hyvittää

Hyvittää is a Finnish verb meaning to make good in the sense of restitution or compensation. The core meanings include to compensate or reimburse someone for a loss or inconvenience, to repay a cost, and more broadly to rectify or atone for a fault by providing compensation or correction. The noun hyvitys denotes the act or amount of compensation, and hyvityslasku is a credit note used in business transactions. The past participle hyvitetty indicates that compensation has been provided, and hyvittäminen refers to the process of making something right or providing compensation.

Usage and contexts. In everyday Finnish hyvittää is used when someone or something is restored to the prior state through compensation. Examples include refunding the price of a faulty product, compensating a customer for an issue, or reimbursing costs incurred. In legal, financial, and consumer contexts hyvitys is common terminology, for instance in contracts, insurance settlements, or customer service procedures. The verb can also describe correcting a mistake or shortcoming by taking corrective action, or atone for a fault by offering compensation or reparations. It is not the standard verb for apologizing; for expressing apologies, Finnish typically uses pyytää anteeksi or other formulations rather than hyvittää.

Etymology and related terms. The verb derives from the notion of making something good or right again, related to the Finnish adjective hyvän meaning good. Related forms include hyvitys (compensation, restitution), hyvittäminen (the act of compensating or rectifying), hyvitetty (reimbursed, compensated), and terms like hyvityslasku (credit note). In contrast, korvata and korvaus are more commonly used for straightforward compensation or indemnification in everyday language.