madalletaan

Madalletaan is a Finnish present passive verb form derived from the verb madaltaa, meaning to lower, reduce, or dampen. As a passive construction, madalletaan describes an action where the subject is not specified and something is being lowered or reduced. It is commonly used in news, policy statements, and everyday speech to convey that a level, threshold, price, or rate is in the process of being decreased.

Etymology and form: The root madaltaa expresses the causative sense of making something lower. The present passive form that appears in standard Finnish is madalletaan, aligning with Finnish passive morphology where the suffix -taan/-än is used for present passive. This form is neutral and impersonal, suitable for reporting actions without naming an agent.

Usage: Madalletaan appears most often in contexts involving economic measures, safety standards, or regulatory thresholds. For example, korkoja madalletaan (interest rates are being lowered) or kustannuksia madalletaan (costs are being reduced). It can also describe changes in non-economic areas where a parameter or barrier is reduced.

See also: Finnish grammar, passive voice, madaltaa, meaning of related verb forms.

Notes: While commonly used in formal and journalistic Finnish, madalletaan remains a general, non-agentive expression. Its exact interpretation depends on the surrounding sentence and the subject to which the lowering action is attributed.