viilletään

Viilletään is a form found in Finnish that appears primarily in dialectal or historical usage as the passive present form of a verb meaning to file, sharpen, or smooth a surface. In Standard Finnish, the corresponding passive form for the related verb viilata (to file or hone) is viilataan. Therefore, viilletään is typically considered non-standard or archaic in contemporary language, and is mainly encountered in dialect descriptions or old texts.

Linguistic notes and morphology: Finnish passive present forms are usually built with endings such as -taan, -tään, or -ään. Viilletään is thought to reflect an alternative dialectal development in which a geminated -tt- occurs before the passive suffix. This form can theoretically pair with objects like blades or stones that are undergoing surface refinement, though its use today is largely confined to regional speech or cited in dialectological references rather than everyday prose.

Usage and register: Because viilletään is not part of standard Finnish, its appearance signals regional provenance, literary archaism, or a quoted/illustrative context in dialect dictionaries. For most modern contexts, speakers would opt for viilataan to describe the ongoing filing or sharpening of an item.

See also: Finnish language, Finnish dialects, passive voice in Finnish, viilata (to file/sharpen), viilaus (filing/sharpening).