Koettiin

Koettiin is the imperfect passive form of the Finnish verb kokea, meaning to experience or feel. In English it is commonly translated as “was experienced” or “was felt.” The form is used when the agent of the action is not specified or not important to the statement, which is typical in descriptive writing, journalism and reporting of events.

In Finnish grammar, the past imperfect passive is formed with the suffix -tiin attached to the verb stem; for kokea the stem is koke-, producing koettiin. The subject is usually indefinite, and the sentence concentrates on the experience itself rather than on who experienced it. Because of this impersonal character, koettiin can describe shared or collective experiences as well as individual ones.

Koettiin can describe sensations, emotions, or events that were perceived or undergone by people, groups, or communities. It frequently appears in news reporting, academic texts, and narrative prose when the writer wants to emphasize the existence of an experience rather than its agent.

Examples: Tilanteessa koettiin suurta epävarmuutta. Kriisin aikana monia koettiin pelko ja ahdistus. In both examples the focus is on the experience, not on who felt it.

See also: Finnish language, Kokea, Passive voice.