vaikutetaan

Vaikutetaan is a Finnish verb form that represents the present tense passive of vaikuttaa, meaning to influence or affect. In this form, the subject of the sentence is typically not stated, and the emphasis is on what is being influenced rather than who is doing the influencing. The passive voice is common in Finnish to express impersonal observations or outcomes that result from external factors.

Grammatically, vaikutetaan is a present passive form. Finnish passive forms do not mark person, so vaikutetaan does not specify the agent. It is used in formal, scientific, and general writing to describe relationships where the influencing factor is known or assumed but not named, or when the actor is unimportant or obvious from context. The phrase can be combined with instrumental or adverbial expressions to indicate how or by what means influence occurs.

Usage notes include that vaikutetaan often appears in discussions of causes, effects, and outcomes. It can convey that something is being affected by conditions, events, or other factors, rather than stating who or what directly causes the effect. In translation, it is commonly rendered as “is influenced” or “is affected” in English.

Examples:

- Päätökseen vaikutetaan useiden tekijöiden kautta. (The decision is influenced by several factors.)

- Sääolosuhteisiin vaikutetaan tutkimuksessa havaituilla tekijöillä. (The weather, in the study, is affected by observed factors.)

Related terms include vaikuttaa (to influence), vaikutus (effect, impact), and vaikuttaminen (influencing). Vaikutetaan remains a core tool for expressing impersonal causality and outcomes in Finnish syntax.