Käänavad

Käänavad is the Estonian present tense, third-person plural form of the verb käänama, meaning to turn, bend, or twist. It is used to describe actions performed by multiple subjects in the present. The form is built from the verb stem kään- with the plural present suffix -avad. For example: Nad käänavad oma pead. Translation: They turn their heads.

Usage notes:

Käänavad describes the act of turning or bending performed by more than one subject. It can refer to physical movement (turning a knob, bending the body) or to metaphorical turning (changing direction). In sentences with a plural subject, this form is the standard way to express the ongoing action in the present.

Related forms:

The infinitive is käänama. Other present tense forms include ma käänan (I turn), sa käänad (you turn), ta käänab (he/she turns). The past participle is käänanud, used in perfect constructions with olema (olema). The verb belongs to the Estonian lexical family built around the root kään-, shared with related verbs for turning or bending.

See also:

käänama, pöörama, käänamine. These terms relate to turning, bending, and directional change in Estonian grammar and vocabulary.