Selitä

Selitä is a Finnish word that functions as the imperative form of the verb selittää, meaning to explain. It is used to issue a direct request or command to explain something, typically in instructional, educational, or explanatory contexts. In everyday language, you might encounter phrases such as “Selitä, miten tämä toimii” or “Voisitko selittää tämän?” to request clarification or a step-by-step explanation.

Morphology and usage notes: Selitä is the second-person singular imperative. For plural commands, the form is selittäkää. Finnish also allows polite or tentative requests with forms like selittäisitkö or selittäisittekö, which transform the imperative into a conditional or question form. The verb is commonly paired with nouns and phrases describing concepts, procedures, or problems to be explained.

Related forms and etymology: The verb selittää is related to the noun selitys (explanation) and the agent noun selittäjä (explainer). Selittää belongs to Finnish verbs that use the -ttää suffix to form a transitive meaning, with the explanation concept expressed by the root selitys. In educational materials, selitä often appears as an instruction heading or prompt to guide learners toward providing an explanation.

See also: selitys, selittäjä, selittäminen. Selitä is primarily a directive in Finnish, emphasizing the act of providing clarity or illumination about a topic. It is widely used in classrooms, manuals, and instructional writing to prompt explanation and understanding.