Koettaa

Koettaa is a Finnish verb that means to try or to attempt, and in certain senses also to test or to make an effort. It is used when a person intends to accomplish something, often with a focus on the attempt rather than the outcome. The verb is transitive and commonly appears with another verb in the infinitive or with a direct object referring to the task.

Usage and examples

A typical construction is koettaa + infinitive, for example koetan tehdä sen or hän koettaa avata oven. In many contexts, koettaa expresses a deliberate effort toward a goal, as in koettaa ratkaista tehtävä or koettaa saada tulosta. The expression koettaa onnea is used to mean “to try one’s luck.” In everyday speech, koettaa and its inflected forms appear across a wide range of activities, from simple tasks to more ambitious aims.

Relation to kokeilla

Kokeilla is a closely related verb that also means “to try” or “to test,” but its nuance is often more about trying something out, experimenting, or sampling. Koettaa tends to carry a sense of striving toward a goal or testing one’s ability, while kokeilla emphasizes initial testing or trying something in a more exploratory sense. The two verbs are not always interchangeable, and context guides the preferred choice.

Etymology and related forms

Koettaa derives from the noun koe, meaning “test” or “trial,” and forms a common Finnish verb with the -taa/-tää suffix. Related terms include kokeilla (to try out) and the noun koe (test) or koetus (trial). The word is productive in everyday language as well as in written Finnish, spanning casual conversation and formal discourse.