mainittiin

Mainittiin is the past passive form of the Finnish verb mainita, meaning to mention. It is used to report that something was mentioned, without specifying who mentioned it. The form appears frequently in formal writing, such as journalism, reports, and academic contexts, where attention is on the information itself rather than the acting subject.

In Finnish, the past passive is formed by adding the standard passive suffix and the past tense ending, yielding mainittiin from mainita. The corresponding present passive is mainitaan, and the past passive participle is mainittu, which can function attributively as in “mainittu henkilö” (the mentioned person) in some contexts. The passive voice often serves to present statements or findings neutrally and without naming the source or agent.

Usage notes and examples:

- Raportissa mainittiin useita vaihtoehtoja. (The report mentioned several options.)

- Uutisessa mainittiin, että järjestelyt etenevät suunnitellusti. (The news stated that the arrangements are progressing as planned.)

- On mainittu aiemmin, että hanke tarvitsee lisäresursseja. (It has been mentioned earlier that the project needs additional resources.)

Mainittiin is thus a standard, neutral construction for signaling that information has appeared in a source. Its use helps focus discourse on the content of the mention rather than on who made the mention, a common feature in reporting and expository writing.