vaikutaa

Vaikutaa is a Finnish verb meaning to affect or influence. It is the present tense form used when the subject is third person singular, and it is derived from the infinitive vaikuttaa, which carries the core meaning of causing an effect or having influence. The noun form related to this verb is vaikutus, meaning effect or influence, and related adjectives such as vaikuttava (influential).

In usage, vaikuttaa can describe how something changes people, situations, or outcomes. For example, climate change affects many species; new legislation affects businesses; public opinion can be influenced by media coverage. The verb is commonly used with a direct object expressed in various cases to indicate what is affected or influenced, or with prepositional phrases to specify the area of impact. It is also used in the phrase vaikuttaa siltä, että, meaning “it seems that,” to introduce a perceived conclusion or impression.

Vaikuttaa has several related forms. The noun vaikutus refers to the influence or effect itself, while vaikuttava describes something or someone that exerts influence. The verb can be paired with adverbs to express the degree or manner of influence (for example, voimakkaasti vaikuttaa, meaning to have a strong influence).

Etymologically, vaikuttaa comes from the root vaik-, connected to the concept of effect or influence, with the suffixes that form the verb and its related nouns. The word is a common building block in Finnish discourse on politics, science, media, and everyday life, where assessing cause and consequence is central.