Bedeutung
To clarify a situation.
Kultureller Hintergrund
In Finnish work culture, 'tehdä selkoa' is linked to 'vastuullisuus' (responsibility). If you make a mistake, you are expected to 'tehdä selkoa' without making excuses. Finnish academic writing is very direct. 'Tehdä selkoa' is a standard way to introduce the scope of a study, emphasizing transparency. In Finnish law, the duty to 'tehdä selkoa' (account for) is a formal requirement for trustees and guardians. Modern 'selitysvideot' (explanation videos) on YouTube or TikTok often use this phrase in the title to signal a serious deep-dive into a topic.
Master the Elative
If you use 'tehdä selkoa', your listener is immediately waiting for a word ending in -sta or -stä. Don't leave them hanging!
Don't Overuse
Using this in a bar or with close friends makes you sound like a lawyer. Stick to 'selittää' for casual talk.
Bedeutung
To clarify a situation.
Master the Elative
If you use 'tehdä selkoa', your listener is immediately waiting for a word ending in -sta or -stä. Don't leave them hanging!
Don't Overuse
Using this in a bar or with close friends makes you sound like a lawyer. Stick to 'selittää' for casual talk.
The 'Asia' Rule
When making selkoa, be brief and factual. Finns appreciate a clear structure over flowery language.
Teste dich selbst
Täytä puuttuva sana oikeassa muodossa.
Hän teki selkoa uude____ suunnitelma____.
The phrase 'tehdä selkoa' requires the elative case (-sta/-stä).
Valitse oikea verbi tilanteeseen.
Minun täytyy ______ selkoa tästä sotkusta pomolle.
You 'make' (tehdä) clarity when you are the one explaining it to someone else.
Mitä poliisi sanoisi?
Poliisi: 'Teidän täytyy nyt ______ ______ tästä asiasta.'
The police are asking for an explanation/account of the matter.
Yhdistä lause ja tilanne.
1. 'Teen selkoa kuluista.' 2. 'Otan selkoa kuluista.'
Tehdä = output (explain), Ottaa = input (investigate).
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenHän teki selkoa uude____ suunnitelma____.
The phrase 'tehdä selkoa' requires the elative case (-sta/-stä).
Minun täytyy ______ selkoa tästä sotkusta pomolle.
You 'make' (tehdä) clarity when you are the one explaining it to someone else.
Poliisi: 'Teidän täytyy nyt ______ ______ tästä asiasta.'
The police are asking for an explanation/account of the matter.
1. 'Teen selkoa kuluista.' 2. 'Otan selkoa kuluista.'
Tehdä = output (explain), Ottaa = input (investigate).
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenMostly, but 'tehdä selkoa' is more formal and implies a more thorough or systematic explanation.
No, you usually 'tehdä selkoa' of matters, situations, or actions, not people themselves.
It's a fixed partitive form in this idiom, likely because the 'clarity' is an abstract, uncountable result.
Yes, if you mean 'explain who I am' or 'account for my background', but it's rare.
Estonian has 'selgust tegema', which is very similar, but the usage patterns differ slightly.
There isn't a direct opposite idiom, but 'hämärtää' (to obscure) or 'sotkea' (to mess up) are antonyms in meaning.
Only if you're being ironic or discussing something very serious with a colleague.
Usually yes, but you can say 'Hän tuli tekemään selkoa' if the context of what is being explained is already known.
Both! 'Jostakin' is the topic, and 'jollekin' is the person you are explaining to.
Yes, using it correctly in the YKI-testi (Finnish language proficiency test) shows high-level register awareness.
Verwandte Redewendungen
selvittää
synonymTo clarify or solve.
valaista
similarTo illuminate/shed light on.
ottaa selkoa
contrastTo find out/investigate.
saada selkoa
builds onTo understand/make sense of.
