Puhdistettavien

Puhdistettavien is a Finnish grammatical form used to describe objects that need to be cleaned. It is the genitive plural form of the participial adjective puhdistettava, which comes from the verb puhdistaa meaning to clean. In English, the sense is close to “to be cleaned” or “to be cleaned items.” The form is commonly found in technical or instructional contexts, where it can indicate items requiring cleaning or maintenance.

In use, puhdistettavien functions as a modifier within noun phrases, typically in a genitive construction. For example, puhdistettavien esineiden luettelo means “a list of items to be cleaned,” with esineiden in genitive plural and luettelo as the head noun. The form therefore helps specify scope or requirements in inventories, checklists, maintenance schedules, or quality-control documents.

Grammatical behavior and related forms are characteristic of Finnish participial adjectives formed with the suffix -ttava. Other related forms include puhdistettava (the singular form meaning “to be cleaned”) and puhdistettavat (nominative plural, “the items to be cleaned”). The different case and number endings (for example, genitive plural -ien) align with Finnish noun phrase agreement, while the semantics clearly express a future or contingent action (cleaning that has yet to be completed).

Usage notes: puhdistettavien is most common in formal, administrative, or technical Finnish. In everyday language, speakers may opt for more direct phrases such as “puhdistettavat esineet” or rephrase to avoid the genitive construction.