Poiketaan

Poiketaan is a Finnish verb form of poiketa, meaning to deviate, diverge, or branch off from a route, path, plan, or norm. The word is used both in literal terms—such as leaving a road or trail—and in figurative terms, such as departing from a plan or from established rules. The root poikke- is related to other words such as poikkeus (exception) and poikkeama (deviation).

Grammatically, poiketa is intransitive, and poiketaan is the passive or impersonal form used in general statements, including road signs and guidelines. The active forms include poikkesi (past tense) and poikkeaa (present tense), depending on the subject.

Common usages include poiketa suunnitelmasta (to deviate from the plan), poiketa tieltä (to leave the road or take a detour), and poiketa normista (to deviate from the norm). In everyday language, the verb can describe both physical detours and abstract departures from expectations or rules.

Examples:

- Hän poikkesi suunnitelmasta ja teki toisen ratkaisun. (He deviated from the plan and chose another solution.)

- Polku poikkesi metsätieltä. (The path diverged from the forest road.)

- Gripen poikkesi perinteisistä toimintatavoista, ja tuli uudistuksia. (The politician deviated from traditional approaches, introducing reforms.)

Notes: Poiketaan and related forms are used across formal and informal styles to express deviation, detour, or departure, and connect to related nouns such as poikkeus and poikkeama that denote exceptions or deviations more broadly.

See also: deviation, detour, poikkeus, poikkeama.