luetaan

Luetaan is the present passive form of the Finnish verb lukea, meaning "to read." It is used to express that something is read, without specifying who reads it. In Finnish, the passive voice is formed with suffixes like -taan/-ään, and for lukea the present passive is luetaan. The form does not indicate the agent, and the subject of the sentence is typically the thing that is read rather than the reader.

The passive can describe general statements or descriptions in encyclopedic or formal writing. It can express ongoing or habitual reading without naming who does the action. It is not the same as the active forms of lukea (luen, luet, lukee, luemme, luette, lukevat), which specify the subject performing the action. The present passive often appears in neutral or impersonal contexts.

Common usages include descriptions of texts, documents, or works that are read by people in general, or instructions that indicate something should be read without naming an actor. It also appears in headlines and descriptive passages.

Examples:

- Kirja luetaan joka ilta. (The book is read every night.)

- Sanomalehdet luetaan koko päivän. (Newspapers are read all day.)

- Teksti luetaan oppilaille ääneen. (The text is read aloud to the students.)

Notes: luetaan should not be confused with active forms such as "luemme" (we read). Related terms include lukea (to read), lukeminen (reading as a process), and luenta (the act of reading).