Present passive referative (-tavan / -tävän)

The Present Passive Referative Construction

You have learned how to use the referative construction to state that someone is doing an action. To describe an action happening to an object where the doer is unspecified, we use the present passive referative.

This structure compresses a passive että (that) clause into a single phrase.

To build this construction:

  • Put the object receiving the action in the partitive case.
  • Add the genitive -n to the present passive participle (ending in -tava or -tävä), resulting in -tavan or -tävän.
Basic VerbPassive ParticipleReferative Form
lastatalastattavalastattavan
siirtääsiirrettäväsiirrettävän
varastoidavarastoitavavarastoitavan
tutkiatutkittavatutkittavan

Here is how you use it to describe an ongoing action:

I see that the container is being loaded.
Näen konttia lastattavan.
I know that the freight is being stored in the harbor.
Tiedän rahtia varastoitavan satamassa.

Reporting on Harbor Logistics

This passive referative is common in logistical and formal contexts. Because it highlights the work being done rather than the specific worker, it pairs perfectly with verbs of perceiving (seeing, hearing, noticing) and reporting (saying, knowing).

Notice how the objects receiving the action in the following sentences always take the partitive case.

We see that the cargo is being moved with a crane.
Näemme lastia siirrettävän nosturilla.
I heard that the shipment is being examined in customs.
Kuulin lähetystä tutkittavan tullissa.
The dockworker says that the forklift is being used.
Satamatyöntekijä sanoo trukkia käytettävän.
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