Pitänyt

Pitänyt is the past participle form of the Finnish verb pitää, and is used with the auxiliary olla to form perfect tenses such as the present perfect and past perfect. In English it is commonly rendered as “kept” or “have kept,” depending on context. The verb pitää itself has several related senses, including to hold or keep physically, to hold back or maintain, to require or be necessary, and to hold a belief or opinion.

Usage and meanings

- With a direct object: Olen pitänyt lippuni käsivarrella. I have kept my ticket in my sleeve. More generally, “pitänyt” expresses that something has been kept or maintained over a period.

- With abstract meanings: Olen pitänyt sitä totena. I have held that to be true. This sense covers beliefs, opinions, or statements one has maintained.

- Fixed expressions: Pitänyt kiinni (to have held on to something), pitänyt paikkansa (to have held true or to have kept its place).

- Distinction from pidetty: Pitänyt is the active past participle of pitää, used with olla to form tenses; pidetty is the passive past participle used in phrases like on pidetty (has been held).

Grammatical notes

- Pitänyt forms a compound tense with olla: olen pitänyt, olet pitänyt, hän on pitänyt, olemme vieneet etc. The exact English rendering depends on object and context, e.g., “I have kept my promise” (Olen pitänyt lupaukseni).

- The past tense of pitää is piti; this is distinct from pitänyt and serves different grammatical functions.

Etymology and related forms

- Pitänyt derives from the same root as pitää, with multiple related forms governing possession, obligation, and evaluation. Related verb forms include pitää (present), piti (past), and pidetty (the passive past participle).

See also

- Pitää (verb)

- Finnish grammar

- Participles in Finnish