Taivuttettu

Taivuttettu is a Finnish adjective that literally means "conjugated" or "inflected." It is derived from the noun taivutus, which refers to inflection, the grammatical process of changing a word’s form to express different cases, numbers, tenses, moods, or other grammatical categories. In Finnish, taivuttelu applies not only to verbs but also to nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and numerals, as each class can undergo morphological changes to convey function in a sentence.

In everyday usage, taivuttettu describes a word that has been inflected from its base form. For instance, the verb etä person singular present tense is “lukee,” and the past tense is “luki.” The past Tense form “luki” would be called taivuttettu, whereas the infinitive “lukea” is the unfinished or base form. Similarly, a noun such as “kala” (fish) can become “kalat” (plural) or “kalan” (genitive), and these plural and genitive forms would also be described as taivuttettu.

The term is often employed in pedagogical contexts, especially in Finnish language instruction, where learners are taught to identify and analyze taivuttelu patterns. It is distinct from the term taivutusvarmuus, which refers to a stable, regular inflection pattern, versus taivutteluvarmuus, the degree of certainty that a word is correctly inflected. Taivuttettu is the everyday label for any inflected form, making it central to discussions of morphology, syntax, and the teaching of Finnish grammar.