passiivin

Passiivin is the genitive form of the Finnish word passiivi, referring to the passive voice in Finnish grammar. In Finnish, passiivi is a non-personal voice in which the action is described without naming the agent. The subject is often indefinite or omitted, and the focus is on the action itself or its result rather than who performs it.

The Finnish passive has several common forms. The present passive is formed by adding a suffix to the verb stem, typically -aan or -ään, depending on vowel harmony. Examples include kirjoitetaan (is written), pestään (is washed), and luetaan (is read). The past passive forms end in -tiin or -ttiin, as in kirjoitettiin (was written) and tehtiin (was done). Some verbs use slightly different patterns, but the general idea remains: the agent is not specified in the surface form.

In usage, the passive is used to convey general statements, instructions, descriptions in manuals, news reporting, and formal prose. It is common in everyday Finnish as well, especially when the actor is unknown or unimportant. The passive can coexist with an explicit agent phrase, often introduced by phrases like toimesta (by the influence of) or kautta (through), but such agents are not required.

Negation and tense in the passive follow the same rules as in the active voice: ei kirjoiteta (is not written), eikä tehty (and was not done). The passive is a central feature of Finnish style, enabling impersonal or outcome-focused expressions without specifying who performs the action.