Velvoitatte

Velvoitatte is the second-person plural present indicative form of the Finnish verb velvoittaa, meaning to obligate, to impose an obligation, or to bind someone to do something. It is used when addressing more than one person, equivalent to “you (all) obligate” in English. As a finite verb, velvoitatte carries person, number, and tense information, with the implied subject te (you, plural).

Etymology and form: The verb velvoittaa comes from the stem velvoitta- plus the ordinary Finnish present-tense ending for the second-person plural, -ette, resulting in velvoitatte. This form appears in sentences where the speaker refers to a duty or obligation that the addressed group has to fulfill.

Usage: Velvoitatte is common in formal, instructional, and regulatory language, as well as in everyday speech when speaking to multiple people. It signals that the addressed group has a duty or requirement to comply with a rule, instruction, contract, or agreement. It is one of several conjugated forms of velvoittaa, which also include velvoitan (I obligate) and velvoittaa (he/she obligates).

Example: Te velvoitatte työntekijät noudattamaan ohjeita. This translates to “You (all) obligate the employees to follow the instructions” and illustrates how the form functions in a typical clause.

See also: velvoittaa, Finnish verb conjugation, mood/tense in Finnish.