Hymyilytti

Hymyilytti is a Finnish verb form derived from the verb hymyillä, meaning to smile. It functions as the past tense of the causative verb hymyilyttää, which means “to cause to smile” or “to bring a smile to someone’s face.” The construction is often used impersonally: the subject of the sentence is the thing that causes the smile, while the person who smiles is expressed as a complement (for example with minua, meitä).

Etymology and grammar notes: hymyilyttää is built from the noun hymy (smile) with the causative suffix -yttää, creating a verb meaning to cause a smile. In past tense, a singular triggering subject yields hymyilytti (it made me smile / it made you smile), while a plural subject yields hymyilyttivät (they made us smile / they made you smile). The person who smiles is typically in a partitive form (e.g., minua, meitä), reflecting the Finnish impersonal construction.

Usage: hymyilytti is used to describe moments or objects that caused someone to smile in the past. It is common in narrative, descriptive writing, and everyday speech. Example sentences: Se hymyilytti minua. (That made me smile.) Nämä muistot hymyilyttivät meitä. (These memories made us smile.)

Comparison and related terms: hymyillä denotes the act of smiling; hymyilyttää denotes causing a smile. The word is native Finnish and widely used in informal and formal contexts. It is typically employed to convey a gentle, positive emotional response to a past event or observation.