Selitän

Selitän is the first-person singular present indicative form of the Finnish verb selittää, which means to explain or to clarify. The form is used when the speaker provides an explanation or justification in speech or writing. The infinitive of the verb is selittää.

In contemporary Finnish, selitän expresses present action by the speaker. Other present forms of selittää are selität (you explain), selittää (he/she explains), selitämme (we explain), selitätte (you all explain), and selittävät (they explain). The past tense forms include selitin (I explained), selitit, selitti, selitimme, selititte, and selittivät. The perfect forms combine with the auxiliary olla, for example olen selittänyt (I have explained) or olin selittänyt (I had explained). The passive form is selitetään (is explained).

Derivatives and related forms include selittävä (explaining, a participle) and selittänyt (explained, a past participle). The noun selitys means an explanation or clarification, and selittäjä refers to a person who explains.

Usage notes: selitän is common in instructional, analytical, and explanatory contexts. It is used to present reasoning, steps, or justifications. In formal writing, it may be followed by a demonstration, example, or reference to evidence. Example: Selitän tämän kaavion avulla, miten järjestelmä toimii. Another example: Selitän, miksi muutos on tarpeen.

Overall, selitän functions as a straightforward actor-focused form for stating that the speaker is providing an explanation.