kadottaa

Kadottaa is Finnish for “to lose” or “to misplace,” and can also mean “to cause to disappear.” It is used primarily for tangible items such as keys, wallets, or documents, but can be extended metaphorically to mean losing something in a broader sense. For memory or knowledge, unohtaa is more common.

Etymology and meaning: Kadottaa derives from the verb kadota, meaning “to disappear.” Kadottaa is the causative form, literally implying making something disappear or become lost. The base form is kadottaa, with standard inflection patterns for verbs of the same class.

Usage and grammar: Kadottaa is a transitive verb. Its present tense forms are kadotan, kadotat, kadottaa, kadotamme, kadotatte, kadottavat. The past tense forms are kadotin, kadotit, kadotti, kadotimme, kadotitte, kadottivat. The past participle is kadottanut, used in perfect tenses such as Olen kadottanut lompakkoni (“I have lost my wallet”). The object typically refers to the thing lost (e.g., lompakko, avain, paperit).

Examples:

- Kadotin avaimeni tänään. (I lost my keys today.)

- Olen kadottanut lompakkoni. (I have lost my wallet.)

- Hän kadottaa tiesi karttaan. (He is losing his way on the map; figurative usage.)

See also: hukata (synonym in some contexts for losing or misplacing), unohtaa (to forget), kadota (to disappear).