palautellaan

Palautellaan is a Finnish verb form that denotes an ongoing or repetitive action of returning something. It is the passive present form of the verb palautella, used when the subject is unspecified or when the action is described as continuing or repeated. In practice, palautellaan emphasizes the process of handing items back rather than a single completed return.

The form is most common in formal or administrative contexts, such as libraries, archives, or customer-service processes, where multiple items or repeated returns are described. It contrasts with the more neutral simple passive form palautetaan, which simply states that something is returned. Palautellaan can also appear in instructions or process descriptions to highlight that returns are underway or expected to occur.

Related terms include palauttaa (to return), palauttaminen (the act of returning/restoration), and palautettava (that which is to be returned). The word derives from palauttaa, with the iterative or habitual nuance added by the compound form palautella and the passive suffix -ellaan in palautellaan. In everyday language, people are more likely to use palautetaan or other phrasing, while palautellaan appears primarily in written or formal descriptions of ongoing return processes.