Lakataan

Lakataan is a Finnish verb form meaning “it is stopped” or “one stops,” and it is the present passive form of the verb lakata, which means to cease, stop, or discontinue. The passive is used to state cessation in an impersonal or general way, without naming the agent. This makes lakataan common in notices, guidelines, instructions, and policy language, but it can appear in ordinary text as well.

Morphology and usage: Lakata is a class-1 verb of the -ata type. The present passive is formed with the suffix -taan/-dään, yielding lakataan. The corresponding active present forms would be lakkaa (singular) or lakkavat (plural): “they cease.” The subject of lakataan is typically the process, rule, or activity that ceases, often expressed in genitive or other case forms within the clause. For example, Käytöstä lakataan välittömästi means “the use is stopped immediately.”

Nuanced usage: Lakataan tends to appear in formal writing and public communication, signaling an immediate or planned cessation. It can describe stopping a practice, an operation, or the use of something, depending on the surrounding elements of the sentence and the time frame indicated by adverbs or other modal cues.

See also: lakata, Finnish grammar, passive voice.