Säädetään

Säädetään is the present passive form of the Finnish verb säätää, which means to regulate, set, adjust, or enact rules. The form indicates that something is determined or laid down by rule rather than by a named agent. In practice, säädetään is most common in formal, official, and legal language, but it can also appear in technical contexts where settings or standards are specified.

Grammatical and usage notes: In Finnish, the passive form is used to present provisions, clauses, or standards without naming who enforces or creates them. Typical contexts include legislation, regulations, official guidelines, and technical manuals. The subject of säädetään is the rule, provision, or setting described by the text, not the person who creates it. The sense can range from “to regulate” or “to lay down” a requirement to “to adjust” or “to set” a parameter.

Examples:

- Laissa säädetään, että vero on progressiivinen. (The law provides that the tax is progressive.)

- Pykälässä säädetään, että maksun tulee olla suoritettu viimeistään kuuden päivän kuluessa. (The clause provides that the payment must be made within six days.)

- Koneen lämpötilarajat säädetään automaattisesti ohjausyksikössä. (The machine’s temperature limits are set automatically in the control unit.)

Relation to related terms: Säädetään derives from säätää, related nouns include säädö, sääntö, säädöskokoelma (regulation), and adjectives such as säädettävä (regulable/adjustable) and säädöksellinen (regulatory). The term is fundamental in Finnish legal and administrative writing.