kuunnellaan

Kuunnellaan is a Finnish verb form derived from kuunnella, meaning to listen. It is the present passive form in Finnish grammar, used when the agent performing the action is unspecified or unknown. In English, it can be translated as “is listened to,” “are listened to,” or more idiomatically as “one listens,” depending on context.

The form is created by adding the passive present suffix to the verb stem. For kuunnella, the stem is kuunnell-, and the resulting form is kuunnellaan. Finnish uses vowel harmony, so the same basic pattern applies to other verbs with appropriate suffixes.

Kuunnellaan is commonly used to describe listening as a general activity or phenomenon, especially when the actor is not specified. It appears in media descriptions, instructions, or statements about media consumption, radio, music, podcasts, and similar contexts. It can also appear in headlines or impersonal statements where the emphasis is on the action of listening rather than who performs it.

Examples:

- Radioa kuunnellaan paljon Suomessa. (The radio is listened to a lot in Finland.)

- Kappaletta kuunnellaan tarkasti ennen lopullista päätöstä. (The piece is listened to carefully before the final decision.)

- Nämä podcastit kuunnellaan ympäri maailmaa. (These podcasts are listened to around the world.)

Relation to other forms: kuuntelemme is the active first-person plural form meaning “we listen,” while kuunnellaan shifts the focus to the action itself without specifying the agent. The form is a common and neutral option for describing listening activities in Finnish.