Muuntua

Muuntua is a Finnish verb meaning to undergo a change in form, state, or condition and to become something different as a result of transformation. It is used to describe processes that occur to the subject itself, rather than actions performed on something else. The sense covers physical, biological, social, and metaphorical changes, from natural phenomena to shifts in ideas or conditions.

Etymology and relation to related forms: Muuntua is related to the causative muuntaa, which means to convert or transform something else, and to muutos, the noun for change. The root muunt- connects these terms, with muuntaa expressing external transformation and muuntua expressing an internal or self-directed change. The word appears across formal, scientific, and literary language to denote states that have altered as part of a process.

Usage: The verb commonly describes processes such as materials changing state, organisms undergoing metamorphosis, or situations that evolve over time. It is often found in descriptive or analytic contexts, where the emphasis is on the transition itself rather than on an agent effecting the change. Typical constructions describe the subject becoming a new state or form, or the progression toward that new state, sometimes with phrases like muuntuminen uudeksi muodoksi or similar expressions indicating progression.

Grammar: Muuntua is an intransitive verb that follows standard Finnish conjugation patterns for -ua verbs. It forms various tenses, moods, and aspects in sentences, and it can pair with time-denoting expressions to situate the change within a temporal context.

See also: muuntaa, muutos, muuttua, muuntaminen.