kattaa

Kattaa is a Finnish verb with several related senses. The most common meaning is to set or lay the table for a meal, as in Me katamme pöydän. In this sense, the act of setting a table is called kattaminen, and the result is a laid table, or kattauksesta. The verb also means to cover or span something, for example a surface, area, or period of time. For instance, Talo kattaa 200 neliömetriä means the house covers 200 square meters, and Hanke kattaa kolme vuotta refers to a project spanning three years. A further sense is to include or comprise, such as Hinta kattaa ateriat and materiaalit, meaning the price includes meals and materials.

Usage notes and forms follow standard Finnish patterns for versatile verbs. Kattaa can take objects that denote what is being covered or included, and its sense shifts with context from physical covering to abstract inclusion or scope. The word is productive in compounds and phrases, and related forms include kattava (comprehensive), kattavuus (coverage or extent), and kattaminen (the act of setting the table or of covering). In everyday language, the most frequent sense remains the table-setting meaning, while the inclusivity sense is common in pricing and planning contexts.

See also: kulling related Finnish terms for coverage and setting, such as kattava and kattavuus, as well as phrases using kattaa to describe scope, inclusion, or physical coverage.