Kirjoitettiin

Kirjoitettiin is the imperfect passive form of the Finnish verb kirjoittaa, meaning “to write.” It translates roughly as “was written” and is used when the actor who performed the writing is unknown or unimportant, or when the emphasis is on the result rather than the agent.

Formation and usage: In Finnish, the past imperfect passive is formed with the suffix -ttiin attached to the verb stem, yielding kirjoitettiin from kirjoittaa. The passive form is not marked for person or number, and it can refer to a single instance or to multiple writings depending on the context. It often appears in written prose, reports, journalism, and historical narration to convey that something was written at a past time without naming who wrote it.

Examples: Ilmoitus kirjoitettiin eilen. (The notice was written yesterday.) Kirje kirjoitettiin jo. (The letter was written already.) Raportti kirjoitettiin viime viikolla. (The report was written last week.)

Relation to other forms: kirjoitettiin contrasts with the active form kirjoitti, meaning “he/she wrote.” It also contrasts with present passive forms like kirjoitetaan, meaning “is written” or “are written.” The past passive is a common way to describe documented actions in Finnish without specifying the author.

Etymology and grammar: The form derives from the verb kirjoittaa, with the past passive suffix -ttiin. This pattern is common for many Finnish verbs, making -ttiin a widespread marker of past passive voice in written Finnish. See also Finnish grammar and passive voice for further patterns and exceptions.