Passiivimuotoon

Passiivimuotoon, in Finnish grammar, refers to the passive form of a verb or clause. In a passive construction, the action is performed on the subject rather than by the subject, and the agent is often unspecified or expressed with a separate phrase. The passive is widely used in everyday language, instruction manuals, and formal writing to focus on the action or its result rather than on who performs it.

Finite forms of the passive are found in different tenses. The present passive is formed with endings such as -aan/ -ään or -ataan/ -ään, depending on vowel harmony and verb class. Examples include kirjoitetaan (is written) and luetaan (is read). The past passive is commonly formed with -tiin or -tiin/-ttiin variants, for example kirjoitettiin (was written) and tehtiin (was done).

Finnish also uses the passive with auxiliary verbs to create perfect and pluperfect meanings. The present perfect passive is formed with on + past passive participle, as in kirja on kirjoitettu (the book has been written). The pluperfect passive uses oli + past passive participle, as in kirja oli kirjoitettu (the book had been written). Passive infinitives and participles provide non-finite forms, such as kirjoitettava (to be written) and kirjoitettu (written; past passive participle).

Typical usage notes include the following: the passive is useful for general statements, instructions, or when the agent is unknown or irrelevant. It often yields a more objective tone and is common in manuals, news, and scientific writing. Finnish allows agent phrases (by someone) with or without the agent indicated, but many passive sentences do not specify who performs the action.