Oletettujen

Oletettujen is the genitive plural form of the Finnish adjective participle oletettu, meaning “assumed” or “supposed.” It is used to refer to a group of people, things, or propositions that the speaker regards as based on supposition rather than established fact. In Finnish, oletettu functions as an adjective and agrees with the noun it modifies, so the form changes with case and number.

Morphology and examples: The base participle oletettu declines like an ordinary adjective. Nominative plural is oletetut (the supposed ones), while genitive plural is oletettujen (of the supposed ones). Other cases follow standard Finnish inflection, for example: partitive plural oletettuja (some of the supposed ones) and in the genitive singular oletetun (of the assumed one). Example usage: “Oletettujen todistajien lausunnot ovat ristiriidassa.” “The statements of the supposed witnesses are in conflict.” The phrase can appear in various contexts, including journalism, academic writing, and legal discourse.

Nuance and distinctions: Oletettu conveys a sense of assumption by the speaker or writer and does not assert proven fact. This contrasts with väitetty, which means “alleged” or "claimed by others," implying a more explicit assertion by someone rather than a speaker’s own supposition. Oletettu can also function in broader meanings such as “presumed” or “hypothetical,” depending on context.

Etymology and scope: The word derives from the verb olettaa (to suppose) and the participle suffix -ttu. It is commonly used in Finnish to label conclusions or entities that are treated as hypothetical, not verified. See also olettaa, olettama, and väitetty for related nuances.