tarkkailla

Tarkkailla is a Finnish verb meaning to watch closely, monitor, or keep under careful observation. It implies purposeful, ongoing attention rather than a casual glance, often used when observing changes, processes, or people over time.

The verb is widely used in medical, technical, and everyday contexts. For example, a doctor may tarkkailla a patient’s condition, a technician tarkkailee equipment performance, and researchers tarkkailevat kokeen edistymistä. It can describe both real-time monitoring and longer-term observation, such as following a situation or tracking data trends. In many cases, tarkkailla focuses on detail and accuracy rather than simply seeing something.

Etymologically, tarkkailla comes from tarkka (careful, exact) with the instrumental suffix -lla, forming a regular Finnish -lla verb. In present tense it is conjugated like other -lla verbs: tarkkailen, tarkkailet, tarkkailee, tarkkailemme, tarkkailette, tarkkailevat. The noun tarkkailu denotes monitoring or surveillance, and tarkkailija refers to the observer or monitor.

Notes on usage: tarkkailla is distinct from katsoa (to look at) and valvoa (to supervise or oversee). Tarkkailla emphasizes careful, continuous observation and often implies a goal of detecting changes, ensuring quality, or maintaining safety. It is common in formal and technical language as well as everyday speech.