tuhotaan

Tuhotaan is a Finnish verb form used to express that something is being destroyed. It is the present passive form of the verb tuhota (to destroy) and is used without naming the agent responsible for the destruction. In Finnish, the present passive allows statements about events where the doer is unknown or irrelevant.

Formation and grammar: The present passive suffix in Finnish typically takes the form -taan or -tään. For tuhota, this yields tuhotaan. The construction does not change for singular or plural subjects; the subject of the destruction is often omitted, with the agent introduced only when needed by a separate phrase such as jonkun toimesta (by someone) or jonkun vuoksi (due to someone).

Usage: Tuhotaan is common in news reporting, descriptions of damage, and discussions of planned or ongoing destruction. It can express immediate action or a planned outcome, depending on context and accompanying time expressions. The phrasing is neutral and does not specify who performs the destruction.

Examples:

- Kaupungin vanhat rakennukset tuhotaan tulipalossa. (The city’s old buildings are being destroyed in the fire.)

- Kaupunki tuhotaan ilman varoitusta. (The city is being destroyed without warning.)

- Historiallisen alueen rakennukset tuhotaan ensi vuonna. (The buildings in the historic area will be destroyed next year.)

Tuhotaan therefore serves as a standard grammatical vehicle for describing destruction in Finnish without an explicit agent, with timing inferred from context.