Opettivat

Opettivat is a Finnish verb form that functions as the past tense, specifically the third-person plural imperfect, of the verb opettaa, meaning to teach. It translates to "they taught" in English and is used to describe a completed teaching action by a plural subject.

Grammatical notes: Finnish verbs are conjugated for person and number, and opettivat marks the subject as plural in the past tense. The corresponding present tense form for a plural subject is opettavat, while the singular past forms include opetti (he/she taught) and opetin (I taught). The past tense is typically used in narratives or descriptions of past events.

Usage and examples: Opettivat is common in written and spoken Finnish when referring to groups that taught something to others, such as teachers, trainers, or instructors. Examples include: "He opettivat matematiikkaa oppilaille" (They taught mathematics to the pupils) and "Koulun opettajat opettivat kurssin." (The school's teachers taught the course.)

Related forms and related notes: The base verb is opettaa (to teach). Other related finite forms include opetti (he/she taught) and opettanut (has taught). Non-finite forms include the infinitive opettaa and participles such as the present active partitive form opettava or the perfect participle opettanut, used in compound tenses. The word remains common across educational and narrative contexts in Finnish.