selittämään

Selittämään is the second infinitive form of the Finnish verb selittää, meaning to explain. This non-finite form, written as selittämään, is formed with the suffix -maan/-mään and is used in specific grammatical constructions rather than as a standalone finite verb.

The second infinitive is most commonly used to express purpose or intent when combined with another verb, often a verb of movement or an action that precedes or accompanies the explanation. For example, in phrases like hän meni selittämään tilannetta (he went to explain the situation) or he yrittivät selittämään, miksi tilanne oli muuttunut (they tried to explain why the situation had changed). In these cases selittämään denotes the act of explaining as the purpose or intended result of the main action.

In everyday language, selittämään appears most naturally in constructions that describe going to explain something or attempting to explain something in a given moment. It is less common to use selittämään in isolated statements; in most contexts the finite form selittää (to explain) or other non-finite forms such as selittääkseen may be preferred depending on the sentence structure.

Etymologically, selittämään is derived from the root selitä- with the -mään suffix that marks the second infinitive. The form is part of Finnish non-finite verb morphology and does not itself convey tense or subject; its meaning and timing are determined by the surrounding finite verb form.

See also: related infinitives in Finnish grammar, use of the second infinitive after verbs of motion or determination, differences between the first and second infinitives.