tuomitaan

Tuomitaan is the present passive form of the Finnish verb tuomita, meaning to condemn, to sentence, or to judge. It can refer to a formal legal verdict as well as to moral or societal condemnation. In neutral or formal contexts, tuomitaan signals that a judgment or condemnation is being directed at someone or something by others, without naming the agent.

The present passive is used when the doer of the action is unknown or generalized. It is common in legal and institutional texts as an impersonal construction, for example in statements like rikoksesta tuomitaan, meaning that a person is convicted of the crime. It can also appear in broader discourse to indicate normative judgments. The form contrasts with active variants such as tuomitsen (I condemn) or tuomitsimme (we condemned), and with the past passive tuomittiin (was/were condemned).

Translations into English depend on context and can be rendered as “is/are judged,” “is/are condemned,” or “is/are sentenced.” The distinction between legal sentencing and moral condemnation is usually inferred from surrounding words, such as tuomita rikoksesta (to convict of a crime) or tuomittu (condemned) and tuomio (verdict).

Etymologically, tuomitaan derives from tuomio (verdict, judgment) and the verb tuomita. It is part of a family that includes tuomittu, tuomio, and tuomioistuin, all linked to the concept of judgment and judicial authority. In everyday Finnish, the present passive is a common device in formal writing and news reporting to convey results without specifying the actor.