Muuttuvin

Muuttuvin is a Finnish grammatical form derived from the present active participle muuttuva, meaning changing. In Finnish grammar, participles formed from the verb muuttua can take adjectival functions, and muuttuvin appears as the plural instrumental form used with plural nouns in contexts described by changing conditions or processes. The form is most commonly encountered in formal or technical language rather than everyday speech.

Usage of muuttuvin is largely restricted to fixed expressions where the participle modifies a plural noun in the instrumental case, conveying the sense of variability or changeability of the related noun. Typical examples include phrases such as muuttuvin kustannuksin and muuttuvin olosuhtein. In these expressions, muuttuvin functions as a descriptive element that accompanies a plural noun, indicating that the associated costs or conditions are not static but subject to change. The construction resembles an adjective-like phrase that emphasizes ongoing variability.

Morphologically, the base is the present active participle muuttuva, and the plural instrumental form muut- tuv-in is used before plural nouns in the instrumental case. This form reflects a broader pattern in Finnish where participles-derived adjectives take specialized endings to align with case and number in formal constructs.

Limitations and notes: The use of muuttuvin is relatively narrow and tends to appear in written or technical prose, such as economics, law, or science. In everyday Finnish, speakers often rephrase to avoid the instrumental plural form or to use simpler constructions like changing costs or changing conditions in plain terms.

See also: Finnish grammar, participles, instrumental case, -in suffix.