Edustavat

Edustavat is a Finnish verb form meaning “they represent.” It is the third-person plural present indicative of the verb edustaa, which means to represent or to act as a representative. The form is created from the verb stem edusta- plus the plural present-tense ending -vat, signaling a plural subject.

In use, edustavat describes groups or individuals acting on behalf of someone else. It is common in political, diplomatic, legal, and organizational contexts, where a delegation, party, or official body represents a country, company, or institution. For example, He edustavat maatamme YK:ssa would mean “They represent our country at the UN.”

The verb edustaa has other person forms: minä edustan (I represent), sinä edustat (you represent), hän edustaa (he/she represents), me edustamme (we represent), te edustatte (you all represent). The past tense is edustivat (they represented). Related lexical items include edustus (representation) and edustava (representative, representing), which share the same semantic root.

Notes on usage and nuance: edustavat conveys ongoing representation by a group or formal delegation rather than a single individual, and it is typically found in declarative or descriptive sentences. As with many Finnish verb forms, context and subject clearly determine which person and number are implied. See also edustaa and edustus for related meanings and forms.