Syötäisiin

Syötäisiin is a Finnish verb form used to express a hypothetical action in the conditional mood within the passive voice. It is derived from the verb syöttää (to feed) and is commonly translated as would be fed. The form communicates that feeding would occur under certain conditions, with the feeder agent left unspecified.

Morphology and function: syötäisiin combines the passive construction with the conditional suffix. In Finnish, this results in an impersonal, conditional statement about feeding that does not specify who is performing the feeding. The form is mainly used in formal or written Finnish, particularly in hypothetical scenarios, planning, policies, or guidelines.

Usage: The construction is appropriate when describing what would happen if conditions changed, or when making polite or theoretical statements about feeding arrangements. It frequently appears in clauses introduced by jos (if) or in general statements about desirable or possible actions.

Examples:

- Jos ruokaa riittäisi, eläimet syötäisiin. (If there were enough food, the animals would be fed.)

- Eläinlaitoksen suunnitelma huomioi sen, että ruokaa syötäisiin säännöllisesti. (The animal facility’s plan accounts for feeding being carried out regularly.)

Notes: syötäisiin should not be confused with forms of the verb syödä (to eat). It specifically relates to the act of feeding others rather than the act of eating. In everyday speech, speakers may use more direct or simpler expressions, but syötäisiin remains common in formal or theoretical Finnish.