Eläviä

Eläviä is a Finnish adjective form meaning living or alive, and it functions as the partitive plural of elävä. It is used when describing beings or objects that are in the state of being alive, often in contexts where the exact number is unspecified or the emphasis is on life rather than identity.

Grammatically, elävä declines to agree with the noun in case and number. The partitive plural form is eläviä. Other related forms include elävät (nominative plural), elävien (genitive plural), and elävää (partitive singular). For example, in the phrase eläviä olentoja, the adjective elävä is in the partitive plural to match the noun olentoja.

Usage and nuance: eläviä is common in biology, ecology, philosophy, journalism, and everyday language when referring to living beings in general or in a non-specific group. It contrasts with kuollut (dead) and helps frame discussions about life, conservation, or ethical considerations without specifying a definite set of individuals. The term does not denote a particular species or category; it simply indicates the state of being alive.

Examples of typical usage include: eläviä olentoja tutkittiin (the study examined living beings), eläviä kasveja ja eläimiä havaittiin (live plants and animals were observed). In scientific writing, eläviä can help express the scope of observations without counting every individual.

See also: Finnish grammar, elävä, partitive case.