katotaan
/ˈkɑtotɑːn/
We'll see. Let's see. Let's have a look. Written katsotaan Nothing is a plan here until someone names a time
katsotaan on paper, katotaan out loud
One of the written-and-spoken pairs - every word on this site that exists in both forms is in that table, beside the change between them.
| What you will hear | What the book writes |
|---|---|
| Katotaan ens viikolla. | Katsotaan ensi viikolla. |
| Joo katotaan, mä en tiiä vielä aikatauluja. | Joo, katsotaan, en tiedä vielä aikatauluja. |
Quick answer
Katotaan is the spoken form of katsotaan, "we'll see" - a genuine postponement, not a coded refusal.
- It resolves into a no more often than a foreigner expects, because a Finn who does not want to commit will not manufacture enthusiasm to fill the gap.
- A real no usually sounds like ei käy, en pysty or en ehdi - direct, and offered with a reason.
What katotaan means
Katotaan means we'll see. It is the passive of katsoa, to look, and Finnish uses that passive as the ordinary way to propose something jointly - the same shape as mennään, "let's go", or otetaan, "let's take".
Said about a plan, it parks the decision. Said about a problem, it means someone will look at it. Neither reading is a refusal on its own.
What happens instead of katotaan
Nobody fills this gap
Katotaan, and the plan sits where it is. Nobody proposes a date, and nobody messages the next day to firm it up.
Nothing is a plan in Finland until somebody names a time. Katotaan is being honest about that rather than dodging you.
To turn it into a plan, name a day and a time yourself. That is the expected move and it will not read as pushy.
How Finns actually use katotaan
As a genuine hold: the answer is not yet known, so it is not being given.
As a soft close, when someone does not want to say no in the moment but is not going to say yes later either. That is worth knowing, but do not over-read it: katotaan is about as non-committal as English "we'll see", no more and no less. The Finnish part is what surrounds it - nothing counts as a plan here until a time has been agreed.
The thing that makes it readable is what happens next. A katotaan that is really a yes comes back with a time. A katotaan that is really a no is simply never raised again, by anybody.
Why katsotaan became katotaan
Katsotaan is the written form; the ts collapses to t in speech almost everywhere, giving katotaan. The same collapse turns katson into katon and katsotko into katotsä. Watch the imperative: katso becomes kato, which is also the ordinary word for loss or disappearance - sadon kato, katovuosi.
This is a sound change, not a different word. If you learned katsotaan and cannot hear katotaan, you already know the word - you have just never heard it said.
katotaan in a sentence
- Katotaan ens viikolla. We'll see next week. · written: Katsotaan ensi viikolla.
- Joo katotaan, mä en tiiä vielä aikatauluja. Yeah, we'll see, I don't know my schedule yet. · written: Joo, katsotaan, en tiedä vielä aikatauluja.
- Ei käy, mulla on jo menoa. No, I've already got something on.
One word.
Every morning.
One real Finnish word every morning - what it means, what the book form is, and when Finns actually say it.
katotaan in a conversation
The mistake everyone makes with katotaan
Reading katotaan as a firm plan and turning up. It is not a commitment; it is the absence of one.
The opposite error: treating it as an automatic no. Plenty of katotaans become plans. Ask again once, plainly, and you will get a plain answer.
Where you will actually hear katotaan
The whole scene: kela and the paperwork , at the mökki
Questions people ask about katotaan
What does katotaan mean?
We'll see. It is the spoken form of katsotaan, the passive of katsoa, to look.
Does katotaan mean no?
Not by itself. It is a genuine postponement, the same as English "we'll see". What differs is the surrounding norm: nothing is a plan in Finland until a time is agreed, so a katotaan left alone quietly stays nothing.
How do Finns actually say no?
Directly, and usually with a reason: ei käy, en pysty, en ehdi, ei sovi. A negative answer is softened by explaining it, not by hedging it.
Why is it katotaan and not katsotaan?
In speech the ts sequence collapses to t across most of the country. Katsotaan becomes katotaan and katson becomes katon. The imperative katso becomes kato - which is also the word for loss or disappearance.
How do I tell whether a katotaan is a yes?
Ask once more, plainly, a day or two later. A yes comes back with a time. A no comes back as a short, clear no - or the subject is never raised again.
Is katotaan correct Finnish?
Yes. Katotaan is the spoken form; katsotaan is the written one. Both are standard Finnish - they belong to different registers, and neither is a degraded version of the other.
Is katotaan a bad word?
Safe to say. The care needed is in hearing it, not in using it.
Words that go with katotaan
Sources for katotaan
- VISK § 802 - Mennäänks meille, jooko, kai mä voin tulla Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus - The passive as the ordinary shape of a joint proposal in spoken Finnish - the same construction katotaan belongs to.
- VISK § 1205 - explanation or justification in a negative answer Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus - Why a Finnish no arrives with a reason attached: the reason is what does the softening.
- Kielitoimiston sanakirja: katsoa Kotimaisten kielten keskus
- Kotus - Institute for the Languages of Finland Kotimaisten kielten keskus
- VISK § 1201 - answering with a verb or a particle Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus - The shape of a Finnish answer, and why a real refusal is short rather than hedged.
One word.
Every morning.
One real Finnish word every morning - what it means, what the book form is, and when Finns actually say it.
