määrättiin

Määrättiin is a Finnish verb form that represents the finite passive past tense of the verb määrätä. It is used to indicate that an instruction, decision, order, or prescription was issued by someone, with the agent usually not specified. The form can be translated as “was ordered,” “was prescribed,” “was determined,” or “was appointed,” depending on the context.

In usage, määrättiin appears in formal, administrative, legal, and medical contexts. Examples include sentences such as “Päätös määrättiin voimaan,” meaning “The decision was put into effect,” and “Potilaalle määrättiin antibiootti,” meaning “The patient was prescribed an antibiotic.” The passive construction shifts focus from the actor to the action or outcome.

Grammatically, määrättiin is the past tense passive of määrätä. The verb is built by adding the passive marker and past-tense ending to the stem, resulting in the form ending in -ttiin. The agent performing the action is often omitted in Finnish, especially in official prose; if necessary, it can be indicated with a clarifying phrase (for example, naming the authority or person responsible).

Related forms include the active past tense määräsi (he/she ordered/determined) and the past participle määrätty (prescribed or ordered, used as an adjective). The root meaning of määrätä encompasses to determine, prescribe, order, appoint, or designate, with nuances determined by context.