Tunnustaa

Tunnustaa is a Finnish verb meaning to admit or confess something as true, or to acknowledge a fact, truth, or feeling. It covers admitting guilt, taking responsibility, revealing a truth, or publicly recognizing a position or belief. The sense can be moral, legal, emotional, or factual, and it is commonly used in both everyday and formal language.

The verb is transitive and takes an object expressed in the accusative or possessive form, depending on the light of the sentence. In present tense, the forms are: minä tunnustan, sinä tunnustat, hän tunnustaa, me tunnustamme, te tunnustatte, he tunnustavat. The imperfect past is often tunnusti/tunnustivat, while the perfect uses the participle: olen tunnustanut, olemme tunnustaneet. Examples: Hän tunnusti syyllisyytensä. Minä tunnustan tehneeni virheen. Hän tunnustaa tunteensa. In religious contexts, it can mean confessing sins to a priest: Hän tunnustaa syntinsä papille.

Nuances and related terms: tunnustaa implies an active admission of an inner truth or a moral/factual fault, often with a sense of personal responsibility or stigma. It contrasts with myöntää, which is more neutral or factual, and with kieltää, which means to deny. Tunnustaa can also be used more broadly to acknowledge a fact or a belief, not only a wrongdoing, and it can carry a recognizably personal or emotional weight.

Translations and usage notes: in English, tunnustaa is commonly rendered as “to admit,” “to confess,” or “to acknowledge.” The verb is widely used in everyday speech, journalism, and legal or religious contexts.