kilpailen

Kilpailen is a Finnish verb form meaning “I compete.” It is the first-person singular present tense of the verb kilpailla, which means to compete or participate in a contest against others. The form is used in sentences where the subject is minä (I) and describes the speaker’s current or general competitive activity.

In Finnish, kilpailla is used in sports, games, elections, and other situations involving competition, as well as in figurative contexts such as striving for a goal or reward. The present tense forms follow standard Finnish conjugation: minä kilpailen, sinä kilpailet, hän kilpailee, me kilpailemme, te kilpailette, he kilpailevat. The noun kilpaileminen (the act of competing) and the related noun kilpailu (competition) are connected lexically to kilpailla and its forms.

Usage notes emphasize that kilpailen conveys the speaker’s personal participation in a competition or contest. The nuance can vary with context, from formal sports events to casual or metaphorical rivalry for success or recognition. Kilpailen can also be used with phrases indicating the object of competition, such as voitosta (for the prize) or paikasta (for a place).

Overall, kilpailen is a fundamental present-tense form in Finnish for describing one’s own act of competing, and it appears across a range of competitive and goal-oriented contexts. See also kilpailla, kilpa, and kilpailu for related meanings and forms.