vuorotella

Vuorotella is a Finnish verb meaning to alternate or to take turns. It describes actions or duties that are shared among participants or time slots so that each party performs the task in sequence rather than simultaneously. The term is commonly used in contexts such as work scheduling, sports, education, and media to express rotational arrangements or distributed responsibility.

Etymology and form: Vuorotella is derived from the noun vuoro, meaning a turn, shift, or duty, combined with a productive verbal suffix that forms a verb indicating an ongoing or distributive action. The word belongs to everyday Finnish vocabulary and appears in both formal and informal registers. The adverb vuorotellen means “in turn” or “alternately.”

Usage: In Finnish sentences, vuorotella is treated like a regular verb with standard subject-verb agreement. Examples include: “Työntekijät vuorottelevat” (The workers take turns), “Säätiöorganisaatio vuorottelee vastuissa” (The foundation organization rotates responsibilities), and “Opettajat vuorottelevat opetuksessa” (Teachers alternate in teaching). The adverbial form vuorotellen is commonly used to describe the manner of the action: “Hänen vuoronsa on vuorotellen” is a less common but possible construction; more typical is simply “he toimivat vuorotellen,” meaning they operate in turns.

Related terms: Vuoro, meaning turn or shift; vuorottelu, the noun form referring to rotation or alternation; kierto and vaihdotus as related concepts describing rotation or exchange. Vuorotella is often discussed alongside scheduling, shift work, and collaborative workflows in Finnish language resources.

See also: Vuoro, vuorottelu, kierto, vaihdelu, alternation.