Kosketaan

Kosketaan is a Finnish verb form that corresponds to the present passive tense of koskettaa, meaning to touch. In this form the actor who performs the touching is not specified, so the clause describes an action done to something rather than by someone. The form is common in neutral, impersonal statements as well as procedural and descriptive text.

It is formed by adding the passive suffix to the verb stem. For koskettaa, the standard present passive form is kosketaan. This aligns with Finnish grammar where the passive voice is used to express events without naming agents. The subject of the clause is the thing being touched.

Kosketaan appears in writing and speech where the agent is unknown or unimportant, such as descriptions, general statements, instructions, signs, and news reporting. It helps create an impersonal tone, avoiding direct attribution to a person or group. The form can convey careful or tentative statements depending on context.

See also: kosketus (the noun for touch) and koskettaa (the active verb). In Finnish, many verbs have both active and passive forms; kosketaan is one such passive form. The word is standard in modern Finnish and is understood across dialects, though the passive can sound formal in everyday speech.