Katetuilla

Katetuilla is a Finnish grammatical form used to describe multiple nouns that are covered or laid out in some sense. It is the plural adessive form of the adjective katettu, which derives from the verb kattaa, meaning both “to cover” and “to set (a table).” The adessive case marks location, so katetuilla attaches to a noun in the plural adessive to indicate “on the covered/laid-out [objects].” The stem is katetu-, with the plural adessive suffix -lla/-illä, yielding katetuilla for nouns in the plural adessive.

Usage of katetuilla occurs in descriptive contexts such as event planning, interior design, or culinary settings, where surfaces or areas have coverings or have been prepared. It commonly appears in phrases like katetuilla pöydillä, meaning “on the covered tables,” or katetuilla alustoilla, meaning “on the laid-out platforms.”

Related forms include katetulla (singular adessive), katetut (nominative plural) and katettujen (genitive plural), which are used with other noun phrases in different cases. The word is part of Finnish adjective agreement, where adjectives adjust their endings to match the number and grammatical case of the noun they modify.

Notes and etymology: katetuilla is formed from katettu, the past participle of kattaa, a verb with senses including “to cover” and “to set (a table).” The form illustrates how Finnish uses participial adjectives to describe the state or condition of multiple objects in a specific spatial context.

See also: katettu, katettuja, katettujen.