noudattakaa

The word noudattakaa is a Finnish verb form that appears in the imperative, second‑person plural. It is derived from the base verb noudattaa, which means “to observe, to follow, to comply with” a rule, law, regulation, or agreement. In normal everyday Finnish, the imperative is used primarily to give commands or make requests, and in the plural it addresses more than one person at once. The construction noudattakaa would therefore translate into English roughly as “you all comply” or “please comply” when addressed to a group.

Grammatically, the form is built by taking the stem noudatt- and adding the imperative plural ending ‑ka after a -t insertion: noudatt‑‑ka. The stem already contains the infinitive “t” of noudattaa, which is retained in the imperative. This pattern is common for many Finnish verbs ending in -taa: for example, syödä becomes syö (singular imperative) and syövät (plural imperative form syötäkää). The imperative is one of the few non‑tense forms that can be used to indicate future obligation or command.

In legal, administrative, or formal contexts, noudattakaa is often found in directives or guidelines that request compliance from a group. It can also appear in instructional or instructional material where the speaker wants to remind or insist that the audience follows certain rules. Though it might be considered somewhat stiff or formal in casual conversation, it is perfectly acceptable in official communications, such as council advisories, corporate guidelines, or trade regulations in Finland.