Määräaikat

Määräaikat is a Finnish term that refers to defined periods or deadlines, often used to distinguish time spans with a predetermined start and end from more open-ended arrangements. The word combines määrää, meaning to determine or set, with aika, meaning time, conveying the sense of a bounded or fixed duration. In everyday Finnish, määräaika is commonly used for both fixed-term durations and time-limited deadlines, and its plural form paikkaa multiple such periods.

In legal and administrative contexts, määräaika appears in several familiar phrases. In employment law, a määräaikainen työsopimus denotes a fixed-term contract that ends on a specified date, rather than continuing indefinitely. In housing and rentals, a määräaikainen vuokrasopimus specifies a lease for a set period. For public administration and education, määräaika refers to deadlines for submitting applications, reports, or registrations, as well as to time-restricted programs or grants.

The plural form, määräaikat, is used when describing several fixed periods or deadlines at once, for example across multiple contracts or across different programs. The concept is distinct from indefinite or permanent arrangements, which do not have a predetermined end date. In translation, määräaika can be rendered as “fixed term” or “deadline,” depending on the context and emphasis.

In summary, määräaikat (and the related singular form määräaika) describe time-bound conditions in law, administration, and everyday life, signaling that a given period is legally or practically limited in duration.