Kiinnitä

Kiinnitä is the imperative singular form of the Finnish verb kiinnittää, meaning to attach, fasten, or fix something to another object. It can also be used in a figurative sense to mean paying attention to or devoting attention to something, as in Kiinnitä huomiota johonkin, which translates roughly to “Pay attention to something.”

Kiinnittää is a transitive verb. Its present tense forms are: minä kiinnitän, sinä kiinnität, hän kiinnittää, me kiinnitämme, te kiinnittäte, he kiinnittävät. The imperative singular is kiinnitä, and the plural or polite form is kiinnittäkää. The verb has a passive form kiinnitetään (it is attached) and a past participle kiinnitetty (attached). The gerund kiinnittäen and the nominal form kiinnittäminen describe the act of fastening or fastening itself.

Common uses include physical fastening, such as attaching a label, securing a parcel, or fastening a belt: Kiinnitä turvavyö ennen ajon aloittamista. It is also used in instructions and manuals: Kiinnitä kappale ruuveilla. Figurative uses include phrases like Kiinnitä huomiota ohjeisiin or Kiinnittää huomio johonkin, meaning to direct attention toward something.

Etymology: kiinnittää is a native Finnish verb formed with the suffix -ittää, which creates a transitive verb meaning “to cause to be in a certain state” or “to perform the action on.” The root kiinni connects to concepts of attachment or being fastened. Related forms include kiinnitys (the fastening or fastening mechanism) and kiinnittäjä (one who attaches or fixes).

In summary, kiinnitä serves as the direct command to attach or fasten something, and it is widely used in physical, procedural, and figurative contexts in Finnish.