selventää

Selventää is an Finnish verb meaning to make something clear or to elucidate by removing ambiguity. The action typically involves providing additional information, reorganizing a presentation of facts, or giving concrete examples to illuminate a point. It contrasts with selittää, which emphasizes explaining reasoning or justification. The related noun selvennys refers to the act or result of clarifying, and selventäminen to the process of clarifying.

Etymology: The verb is formed from the adjective selvä, meaning clear, with the -tää infinitive ending, creating a sense of making clear. It is closely related to other Finnic words that express clarification, such as selvennys and selventäminen.

Usage: Selventää is common in written and spoken Finnish, especially in educational, journalistic, and public administration contexts. It is used when a concept, instruction, or statement needs to be made unambiguous. The nuance is often achieved by adding detail, reformulating a passage, or providing concrete examples. It can overlap with selittää, but it generally centers on reducing confusion rather than just presenting reasons.

Examples:

- Tiivistelmä selventää pääsanomaa. (The summary clarifies the main message.)

- Hän selvensi epäselvän kohdan antamalla konkreettisen esimerkin. (He clarified the unclear section by providing a concrete example.)

- Tämä kuva selventää ilmiön toimintaperiaatteen.

See also: selvennys, selventäminen. Synonyms or near-synonyms include täsmentää, valottaa, ja avata, while the opposite idea is to increase confusion or ambiguity.