Jättävä

Jättävä is a Finnish word that originates as the present active participle of the verb jättää, meaning to leave or to abandon. It is formed with the suffix -ttava and can function as an adjective describing a noun or, less commonly, as a noun referring to a person or thing that leaves. As a participle, jättävä agrees with the noun in number and case, and it is used in predicates or in attributive phrases just like other participles.

In everyday Finnish, the participial form is also used in a frequent intensifying construction. The partitive or genetive form jättävän (often written as jättävän) precedes adjectives to mean “extremely” or “very.” For example, jättävän hyvä and jättävän suuri are used to express “extremely good” and “extremely large,” respectively, though the exact morphology adapts to the surrounding grammar. This usage is common in spoken and written Finnish and can be a challenge for learners because it shifts the meaning from a literal “someone or something that leaves” to an intensifier.

Notes on usage: as a standalone noun, jättävä is uncommon; its primary role is as a participle forming adjectives or adjective-like phrases. The related past passive participle jätetty is used to mean “left behind” in passive constructions, highlighting a contrast with the present participle form jättävä.

In summary, jättävä is the present active participle of jättää, used mainly as an adjective and, in enhanced form, as an intensifier before adjectives to express emphasis.