Aiheutui

aiheutui is the past tense form of the Finnish intransitive verb aiheutua, meaning to arise, to be caused, or to result from. It is used to describe a situation or event that happened as a consequence of other factors. Unlike the causative verb aiheuttaa, which marks an agent causing something to occur, aiheutua focuses on the occurrence itself and the link to its causes.

Usage and examples

Aiheet are typically expressed with phrases that name the cause, such as myrskystä (from the storm) or useiden tekijöiden yhteisvaikutuksesta (the combined effect of several factors). For example: Onnettomuus aiheutui rajusta myrskystä (The accident was caused by a severe storm). Kriisi aiheutui useiden tekijöiden yhteisvaikutuksesta (The crisis arose from the joint effect of several factors). Sairaus aiheutui pitkäaikaisesta altistuksesta (The illness resulted from long-term exposure). The subject of the sentence is what was caused or arose, while the cause is expressed with a separate complement, often in the genitive or an adverbial phrase.

Grammatical notes

Aiheutui agrees with its subject in person and number, as a typical past-tense Finnish verb form. The sentence can also use aiheutua in other tenses and with other subjects. In formal or analytical writing, aiheutua is common when describing results, phenomena, or events and their underlying causes. In everyday language, suomalaiset may use aiheutua interchangeably with phrases like johtui or syntyi in some contexts, though juhtui explicitly means “led to” in a causal sense.

Etymology

The form derives from aihe, meaning “cause” or “reason,” combined with the verb-forming suffix -utua.