Pysytettävä

Pysytettävä is a Finnish term belonging to formal or administrative language. It is the passive present participle form of the verb pysyttää, meaning to keep or maintain. In practice, pysytettävä is used as an adjective or in impersonal constructions to express that something must be kept, preserved, or kept in a particular state. The form is common in guidelines, contracts, regulations, and other official texts.

Usage and meaning

As an attributive adjective, pysytettävä describes a noun that is required to be kept in a certain condition. For example, pysytettävä tieto means information that must be kept or maintained. When used in clauses with an auxiliary such as on, it conveys obligation or necessity, as in object clauses like Tiedot on pysyttävä ajan tasalla, meaning the data must be kept up to date. The form also appears in contexts such as documents or agreements that must remain valid or accessible, for example Sopimus on pysyttävä voimassa, meaning the agreement must remain in force.

Morphology and flexibility

Pysytettävä agrees with the noun it modifies in number and case, so plural subjects use pysytettävät (e.g., pysytettävät tiedot). It is typically reserved for formal style and is less common in everyday speech, where simpler expressions like säilytettävä or pidettävä might be used.

Related terms

Common alternatives include säilytettävä (to be kept/safeguarded) and pidettävä (to be considered or kept in a certain sense). The choice depends on nuance and register.

See also: Finnish grammar, passive voice, -ttava/-ttävä suffix, formal Finnish terminology.