Juotetaan

Juotetaan is the present passive form of the Finnish verb juottaa, meaning to give someone a drink or to cause someone to drink. The construction indicates that the action of providing a drink is performed by an unspecified agent toward a recipient. In Finnish, the subject performing the action is often omitted, leaving emphasis on the recipient and the act of giving a drink.

Etymology and form: juottaa itself is derived from juoda (to drink) with the causative suffix -ottaa, producing “to cause to drink” or “to provide a drink.” The present passive form is built with the suffix -taan/-tään, here giving juotetaan, i.e., “is/are given to drink.” Other tenses and moods derive from the same root, such as juotettiin (was/were given to drink) and juotettaisiin (would be given to drink).

Usage: juotetaan commonly appears in service, institutional, or caregiving contexts where drinks are administered to others. The recipient is often expressed in the allative case (to whom), and the thing to drink is in the partitive case (the drink’s amount). The agent is typically unspecified, especially in general statements.

Examples:

- Lapsille juotetaan maitoa koulussa joka aamu. (Milk is given to the children at school every morning.)

- Hotellissa vieraille juotetaan kahvia tai teetä aamiaisella. (Coffee or tea is served to guests at breakfast in the hotel.)

- Sairaaloissa potilaille juotetaan nestettä suun kautta hoitohenkilökunnan toimesta. (Patients are given fluids to drink by healthcare staff.)

See also: juottaa (causative verb), juotavaa (drinkable items), Finnish passive voice.