Pelastautui

Pelastautui is the third-person singular past tense form of the Finnish verb pelastautua, which means to save oneself or to seek safety by taking refuge from danger. The form is used to describe a subject who escaped or protected themselves from a threatening situation, rather than being rescued by someone else.

Usage and meaning

Pelastautua denotes self-rescue or self-protection in contexts such as fires, floods, storms, accidents, or other life-threatening events. It emphasizes the subject’s own action to reach safety or shelter. The verb is intransitive and typically appears with the subject implied by the verb form; it is contrasted with pelastaa, which means to rescue someone or something else.

Grammatical notes

Pelastautui is a past tense form used with a singular third-person subject. The present tense is pelastautuu, and other persons and numbers are formed according to standard Finnish verb conjugation patterns for pelastautua. The word carries a neutral, factual tone, common in reporting and descriptive narration.

Examples

Hän pelastautui tulipalosta. (He saved himself from the fire.)

Aurinko paistoi, mutta hän pelastautui äärimmäisestä varjosta ja jäi turvaan. (He took refuge from the extreme heat and stayed safe.)

In news reports, authorities may describe people who pelastautuivat as having found safety after the disaster.

Related terms

Related verb: pelastaa (to save or rescue someone). Related concepts include taking refuge (turvautua to seek shelter) and self-preservation in dangerous situations.