Käänatakse

Käänatakse is a present passive form of the Estonian verb käänata, meaning to turn, bend, or flip. As a passive construction, it indicates that the action is performed on the subject by an unspecified agent. The form is common in instructional texts, labels, and descriptions where the actor is not named or is general in nature.

Morphology and usage: The passive is formed by adding the suffix -akse to the verb stem, yielding käänatakse. It does not mark person or number, making it suitable for general statements about processes or procedures. Käänatakse can refer to turning physical objects (such as pages or knobs) as well as to figurative turning, such as changes in a sequence or order, depending on context.

Contexts and nuances: In everyday Estonian, käänatakse is most often encountered when describing actions performed on objects without specifying who performs them. It is typical in manuals, user guides, and descriptions of workflows, where the emphasis is on the action rather than the doer. The form can convey a sense of formality or objectivity, aligning with instructional or technical registers.

Etymology: The form derives from the verb käänata, with the standard Estonian passive suffix -akse. The root itself reflects a broad range of turning-related meanings, from rotating physical objects to turning pages or sections in a text.

See also: Estonian grammar, passive voice, verb conjugation, käänata (to turn).