paistaa

Paistaa is a Finnish verb with several related meanings. The two most common senses are to fry or sauté food in fat or oil, and to shine or be sunny, as in weather conditions. The verb can also appear in idiomatic phrases and compound forms that expand its usage beyond these core meanings.

In cooking, paistaa describes the action of frying food. It is used with objects such as vegetables, meat, or eggs, typically in a pan with oil or fat. Example sentences include “Minä paistan sipulit öljyssä” (I fry onions in oil) and “Hän paistaa kananmunat” (He fries the eggs). The activity is object-friendly in Finnish, with the direct object often expressed in the partitive or accusative depending on quantity and context.

In the meteorological sense, paistaa means that the sun is shining. Common phrases include “Aurinko paistaa” (The sun is shining) or “Aurinko paistaa kirkkaasti” (The sun shines brightly). This sense does not take an object; the subject is the weather condition.

Conjugation and forms: paistaa follows standard Finnish verb patterns. In present tense, forms include minä paistan, sinä paistat, hän paistaa. In the imperative, you can say “Paista!” or for a group “Paistakaa!” Past tense forms are paistoin (I fried), paistoit (you fried), paistoi (he/she fried). The perfect forms use the auxiliary olla, as in “olen paistanut” (I have fried).

Related nouns include paistaminen (the act of frying) and paistettu (fried). The verb is a basic tool in everyday Finnish cooking and weather description, frequently encountered in instruction, recipes, and conversation.