Hajottavat

hajottavat is a Finnish participial form derived from the verb hajottaa, which means “to decompose,” “to break down,” or “to disperse.” In its present active participle form, hajottavat functions as an adjective describing something that is in the process of breaking down or causing decomposition. The word is commonly used in scientific, ecological, and technical contexts, especially when referring to organisms, substances, or processes that contribute to the breakdown of organic material.

Grammatical features

- Part of speech: present active participle, used adjectivally.

- Inflection: as with other Finnish adjectives, hajottavat agrees in case, number and possessive suffix with the noun it modifies (e.g., hajottavat bakteerit “decomposing bacteria,” hajottavassa maaperässä “in the decomposing soil”).

- Derivation: formed from the base verb hajottaa + the participle suffix -va/-vä, with gradation resulting in the vowel change to “-vai-” in the plural form.

Typical usage

Ecology: hajottavat mikrobit ovat keskeisiä ravinteiden kierrätyksessä (decomposing microbes are central to nutrient cycling).

Waste management: hajottavat jätelajit, kuten kompostoituvat ruokajätteet, vähentävät kaatopaikkamassaa (decomposable waste streams, such as compostable food waste, reduce landfill mass).

Industry: hajottavat katalyytit nopeuttavat kemiallisia reaktioita (decomposing catalysts accelerate chemical reactions).

The term is closely related to the noun hajottaja (“decomposer”) and the adjective hajotettava (“decomposable”). In Finnish scientific literature, hajottavat is preferred when emphasizing the active role of an agent in the decomposition process, whereas hajotettava describes a material’s susceptibility to be broken down.