Pelaan

Pelaan is the first-person singular present indicative form of the Finnish verb pelata, meaning “I play.” It is used to express that the speaker is engaging in a playing activity, typically involving games or competitive activities, such as sports or casual play. In everyday Finnish, the subject pronoun minä is often omitted, and the verb form pelaan conveys the meaning on its own. Examples include, for instance, “Pelaan jalkapalloa,” “Pelaan videopelejä,” or “Pelaan korttia.”

Pelata, the verb from which pelaan derives, is a regular Finnish -ata verb. Its present tense forms are built around the stem pel- with person-specific endings: minä pelaan, sinä pelaat, hän pelaa, me pelaamme, te pelaatte, he pelaavat. The negative form is en pelaa, et pelaa, ei pelaa, and so on. The past tense is formed as pelasin, pelasit, pelasi, and the imperative is pelaa (singular) or pelatkaa (plural). These patterns illustrate typical Finnish verb conjugation without subject pronouns.

Etymology and related terms: pelata is formed from peli, meaning “game,” with the infinitive suffix -ta. The noun peli denotes a game or play, and related forms include pelaaminen (playing as a noun) and pelit (games). Pelaan is thus closely tied to common Finnish vocabulary around games, sports, and recreational activity. See also peli and pelata for broader context.