Luotettavaa

Luotettavaa is the partitive singular form of the Finnish adjective luotettava, meaning trustworthy or reliable. Luotettava describes persons, statements, sources, information or objects that can be trusted or are dependable. The partitive luotettavaa is commonly used with indefinite quantities or non-count nouns and in constructions where the information is not treated as a definite, fixed item. It is also used after verbs that express need, evaluation or assessment, such as tarvita or etsiä.

Common examples include: “Tarvitsemme luotettavaa tietoa,” meaning we need reliable information; “käytämme luotettavia lähteitä,” meaning we use reliable sources; and “hän on luotettava ystävä,” meaning he or she is a trustworthy friend. The partitive form therefore enables speakers to refer to a non-specific amount or quality of reliability within a broader statement.

Etymology and related forms: luotettava is built from the verb luottaa (to trust) with the adjectival suffix -ettava, which marks a property that can be attributed to something. The noun form is luotettavuus (reliability or trustworthiness). Related adjectives include epäluotettava (unreliable). The distinction between luotettava and luotettavaa is primarily grammatical, reflecting the role of the noun phrase in a sentence rather than a change in meaning.

In Finnish usage, luotettavaa frequently appears in media, research, journalism and everyday language where trustworthiness and accuracy are important criteria for information, sources and claims.