tähdätään

Tähdätään is a Finnish verb form, specifically the passive present tense of tähtäätä, meaning to aim or to target. It can denote that something is aimed at or directed toward a target, or that a goal is being aimed for. The function is both literal—directing a weapon or instrument toward a target—and figurative, referring to aims or objectives in planning, policy, or discourse.

Grammatically, tähdätään is a passive voice construction with an impersonal subject. In Finnish, the passive does not specify who is performing the action, which makes tähdätään suitable for general statements or official or formal writing. It is common to accompany the phrase with a directional element such as kohti (toward) or a stated objective, e.g., tähdätään kohti parempaa laatua or tähdätään tavoitteeseen X.

Usage notes and nuance: tähdätään often appears in contexts where a collective or unspecified actor is assumed, such as organizations, governments, or societal groups outlining aims. The sense can be literal (tähdätä a target) or metaphorical (tähdätä tiettyyn tavoitteeseen). It contrasts with the active form tähtää, which specifies the subject performing the aiming.

Etymology and related forms: The verb is historically linked to aiming devices and the act of aiming, with related nouns such as tähti or tähtiä (star) and the noun tähtiä varten to denote targets, though in modern usage tähtäätä is the primary verb, and tähtäin refers to an aiming sight. Related forms include tähtää (active) and tähtäys (the act of aiming).