yleispassiivi

Yleispassiivi, often translated as the "general passive" or "impersonal passive," is a grammatical construction found in Finnish. It is used to express an action or state without specifying a particular agent or subject performing the action. This contrasts with the typical active voice where a subject performs a verb.

In Finnish, the yleispassiivi is formed using the third-person plural form of the verb, with no explicit subject. For example, the active sentence "He lukevat kirjaa" (They read the book) becomes "Kirjaa luetaan" (The book is read / One reads the book) in the yleispassiivi. The focus shifts from the doers of the action to the action itself or its object.

This construction is versatile and can convey a sense of generality, obligation, or a lack of identifiable responsibility. It is frequently encountered in instructions, rules, official statements, and general observations. For instance, "Täällä tupakoidaan" (Smoking is done here / One smokes here) is a common way to indicate a prohibition or permission without singling out individuals.

The absence of a specific subject makes the yleispassiivi useful for creating a neutral or objective tone. It allows the speaker or writer to make statements that apply to a broad audience or situation without needing to name who is responsible. This grammatical feature contributes to the flexibility and nuance of the Finnish language.