vihastutaan

Vihastutaan is a Finnish verb form meaning “to become angry” in the present passive. It describes a change of emotional state in an impersonal or generalized sense, where the specific subject who experiences the anger is not stated. The form is commonly used when discussing typical reactions to situations rather than naming who gets angry.

Origin and morphology: Vihastua comes from viha, meaning anger, with the verb-forming suffix -stua, yielding a verb that denotes a change of state. Vihastutaan is the present passive form; Finnish passive often marks an unspecified or generalized subject. It contrasts with the active forms vihastun, vihastut, vihastuu, vihastumme, vihastutte, vihastuvat, which describe specific subjects becoming angry.

Usage: The passive form is frequent in everyday speech, journalism, and literary prose when focusing on reactions rather than on who experiences them. It can convey immediacy or universality without identifying individuals. It can also appear with adverbs to indicate frequency or intensity, such as usein or nopeasti, depending on context.

Example: Vihastutaan helposti, kun asiat eivät suju. This illustrates how the form can express a general statement about a common emotional response without specifying the actor.

See also: vihastua, viha, emotions in Finnish.