vetää

Finnish

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *vetädäk, from Proto-Finno-Ugric *wetä-. Cognates include Erzya ветямс (veťams) and Hungarian vezet.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋetæːˣ/,
• Rhymes: -etæː
• Syllabification^(key): ve‧tää

Verb

vetää

1. (transitive) to pull, drag, draw (to apply a pulling force)

   vetää pois ― to pull back, retract

   vetää pois ― to pull in, retract

   vetää henkeä ― to inhale, breathe in

   vetää (lippu) salkoon ― to hoist (a flag)

   vetää oikeuteen ― to bring to justice, to sue

   vetää viiva ― to draw a line

2. (transitive) to pull, to tug

   Vedä kahvasta aukaistaksesi oven.

   Pull the handle in order to open the door.

   Maija veti minua korvasta.

   Maija pulled my ear.

   Kello soi vasta, kun vedät narusta.

   The bell will ring only after you tug the rope.

3. (transitive, figuratively) to attract

   vetää puoleensa (full form) ― to attract

   Hunaja vetää (puoleensa) kaikenlaisia pörriäisiä.

   Honey attracts all kinds of bugs.

4. (transitive) to lead (direct with authority)

   Vedän tätä ryhmää.

   I am leading this group.

   Puheenjohtaja veti kokouksen tehokkaasti.

   The chairperson lead the meeting efficiently.

5. (intransitive) to blow (of a draft of air)

   Ikkunan luona vetää.

   There is a draft by the window.

6. (transitive) to wind, wind up (a coil or spring used to power a mechanism such as clockwork)

   Kronometri täytyy vetää tarkalleen 24 tunnin välein, jotta se olisi mahdollisimman tarkka.

   The chronometer must be wound exactly every 24 hours in order for it to be as precise as possible.

7. (transitive, of a toilet) to flush

   Muista vetää vessa.

   Remember to flush the toilet.

8. (transitive, of a container) to be able to contain (of a vessel, in terms of volume)

   Astia vetää vähintäänkin 15 litraa.

   The container should be able to contain at least 15 litres.

9. to yank, punch (to throw, kick, hit etc. with a sudden, powerful movement)

   vetää turpaan ― to punch someone in the face

   1. (transitive, colloquial) to ingest, take (drugs, drinks, food, etc.)

      vetää viiva(a) ― to do a line; to use drugs nasally

      Pekka veti kakkua kuin viimeistä päivää.

      Pekka ate cake like there were no tomorrow.

      Mitä sä oot vetäny?

      What have you taken?

   2. (slang, art, music) to perform

      Vedetään biisi cis-mollista.

      Let's play this song in C-sharp minor.

      Bändi veti viimeisen keikkansa eilen.

      The band performed their last gig yesterday.

   3. (transitive, sports, colloquial) to shoot (the ball, puck, etc.)
   4. (colloquial, gaming) to beat (a level or a game)
10. (transitive, of tubing, wiring etc.) to place, install, lay

    Johdot on vedetty paikoilleen.

    The cables have been laid.

Conjugation

Derived terms

Further reading

• “vetää”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-04

Anagrams

• evätä, eväät