kiinnitetä

Kiinnitetä is a Finnish verb form known as the passive infinitive of kiinnittää. Kiinnittää means to fasten, attach, or secure something, and also to fix attention or focus in a figurative sense. The passive infinitive kiinnitetä expresses the idea “to be fastened/attached” and is found largely in formal, written, or historical contexts rather than in everyday speech.

Usage and function: Kiinnitetä is used in certain grammatical constructions to indicate an action that should be performed on something or that is to be performed in a passive sense. It can appear in impersonal or instructional language, legal or technical texts, and other contexts where a neutral, non-conjugated form is preferred. In modern Finnish, many of these functions are commonly conveyed with other forms, such as kiinnitettävä (present passive participle) or the present passive kiinnitetään.

Forms and alternatives: Because kiinnitetä is a specialized form, speakers and writers frequently opt for kiinnitettävä or kiinnitetty as more common ways to express related meanings. Kiinnitettävä conveys “to be attached” as a participial form, and kiinnitetty functions as a past passive participle meaning “attached.” The use of kiinnitetä is therefore mainly of interest in philology, dictionaries, and older literature.

Related terms: kiinnittäminen refers to the act or process of fastening, kiinnittyä means to become attached or to stick, and kiinnittää (the active form) covers the primary meaning “to fasten/attach.” Etymologically, kiinnitetä derives from kiinnittää with a passive-infinitive suffix, aligning with Finnish verb-class patterns.