ttavattäväpäätteet

ttavattava päätteet, commonly written ttavattavat päätteet, refer to a group of Finnish verb-derived suffixes that form present passive participle adjectives with the meaning of “to be X” or “to be done/required.” In practice they attach to verb stems to create adjectives or deverbal nouns such as annettava, otettava, tehtävä, myytävä, siirrettävä and similar forms. These suffixes are productive across many verb classes and are widely used in everyday language as well as in legal, instructional, and descriptive texts.

The core forms are based on the -ttava/-ttävä suffix family, with occurrences of -tettava or -ttava depending on the phonological structure of the stem. The choice between the variants is influenced by historical sound changes and vowel harmony rules, and orthography reflects the underlying stem category. The result is an adjective that can modify a noun or function in a predicate position, agreeing with number and case like other Finnish adjectives. For example, a noun can be described with an -ttava form: annettava laatikko (a box to be given), otettava riski (a risk to be taken), tai tehtävä tehtävä (a task to be done).

Usage and meaning are broad but centered on the idea of obligation, potential, or a state of being pending. They appear in phrases such as “annettavat hinnat” (prices to be given/announced) or “siirrettävä tiedosto” (a file to be moved/transferable). The suffix set also supports compound constructions like “toimitettava” (to be delivered) or “määrättävä” (to be determined/required).

In summary, ttavattava päätteet constitute a productive area of Finnish grammar for forming present passive participle adjectives that express that something is to be done, to be kept, or to be acted upon. They play a key role in adjectival modification, instruction, and formal descriptions.