aloitettu

Aloitettu is a Finnish past passive participle of the verb aloittaa, meaning to begin or to initiate. In Finnish, this participle can function as an adjective or as part of a compound verb form, indicating that something has already begun or has been started.

As an attributive participle, aloitettu modifies a noun to express that the action of starting has occurred before the reference point. For example, aloitettu hanke means a project that has begun. The participle is declined to match the noun in number and case, so phrases like aloitettu hankkeesta or aloitetun hankkeen appear in different contexts. As part of a predicate phrase, it combines with the auxiliary olla (to be) to form perfect tenses, such as hanke on aloitettu meaning “the project has been started.”

Formation and related forms: aloitettu derives from aloittaa. Related forms include aloite (initiative), aloitus (start or initiation), and aloittaminen (initiation or commencing). Finnish also uses other participles to convey related nuances, such as the active past participle aloittanut (having started) in contexts where the subject performs the action.

Usage notes: The construction with olla is common for indicating completion with relevance to the present, e.g., Hanke on aloitettu. In attributive position, aloitettu ties into the broader category of perfective expressions in Finnish. The word is neutral and widely applicable across formal and descriptive writing.

See also: Finnish participles, Finnish verb forms, initiation and project terms in Finnish.