kääntää

Kääntää is a Finnish verb with the primary meaning “to translate,” i.e., to render text from one language into another. It can also mean “to turn, flip, or rotate” an object, or to tilt or twist something. When used in the sense of translation, the thing being translated is the object of the verb, and the target language is expressed with an -ksi form such as suomeksi (into Finnish) or englanniksi (into English). For example: Käänsin kirjan suomeksi.

In the non-linguistic sense, kääntää describes turning or rotating something, including turning a page, turning a handle, or turning around. Phrases like kääntää ympäri (to turn around) are common, and the verb can pair with directional or result-oriented particles to specify the action.

Conjugation and forms: In the present tense, typical forms are minä käännän, sinä käännät, hän kääntää; me käännämme, te käännätte, he kääntävät. The imperfect past tense appears as käänsin, käänsit, käänsi, käänsimme, käänsitte, käänsivät. The perfect tense uses olen kääntänyt (and corresponding forms for other subjects). The passive present is käännetään, and the passive past is käännettiin. The past participle is käännetty. The noun forms include käännös (translation), kääntäjä (translator), and kääntäminen (translating).

Usage notes: Kääntää is a productive verb in both senses, but the contextual meaning is usually clear from surrounding words, such as the object being translated or the prepositional phrase indicating direction or rotation. Related words include käännös (a translation), kääntäjä (a translator), and kääntäminen (the act of translating).

Etymology: The word is native Finnish and widely attested in literary and colloquial usage, reflecting both the linguistic and physical senses of turning.