Velvoitettaan

Velvoitettaan is a Finnish verbal form derived from the verb velvoittaa, meaning to oblige or to impose an obligation. It is used to express that an obligation is placed on someone or something by an external rule, authority, or norm, with the agent of the obligation not specified in the clause. The form is most frequently encountered in formal or legal language and in official guidelines, where it conveys a neutral, impersonal sense of duty.

In grammar, velvoitettaan functions as a passive, often described as an impersonal or agentless passive. It signals that a requirement exists for a subject to perform an action, without naming who enforces the obligation. Because of its formal tone, the form is common in contracts, regulations, and administrative texts. In everyday spoken Finnish, speakers more commonly use active constructions or other passive forms such as velvoitetaan or on velvoitettu.

Usage considerations include tone and register. Velvoitettaan can sound formal, legalistic, or archaic in some contexts, so it is typically reserved for written procedures, compliance documents, and official communications.

Examples (illustrative): Osallistujat velvoitettaan noudattamaan ohjeita. Lainsäädäntö velvoitettaa yritykset julkaisemaan tilinpäätöksensä. See also velvoite (obligation), velvoittaminen (to oblige), velvoiteperuste (basis of obligation).

Velvoitettaan thus represents a specific impersonal passive form used to describe externally imposed obligations in Finnish.