Putosivat

Putosivat is a Finnish verb form that denotes a past action in which multiple subjects fell. It is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the intransitive verb pudota, meaning to fall or to drop in a physical or figurative sense. Putosivat is used when the subject performs the action of falling without a direct object. If something is dropped intentionally, the transitive verb pudottaa is used instead, and its past tense is pudottivat.

Usage notes:

- Putosivat can describe physical falls, such as rocks or people falling from a height, as well as figurative declines, such as standings, prices, or conditions.

- The form contrasts with singular past forms like putosi (he/she/it fell).

- For dropping something on purpose, use pudottaa and its past tense pudottivat.

Common related forms include putoaminen (the act of falling) and pudotus (a fall or drop in a ranking or value, often used in contexts like sports standings or statistics).

Examples:

- Kivet putosivat rotkon reunalta. (The rocks fell from the edge of the gorge.)

- Sijoitukset putosivat lokakuun lopussa. (The standings fell at the end of October.)

Overview:

Putosivat is a standard, neutral verb form widely used in narration, journalism, and everyday speech to report that multiple subjects experienced a fall, whether literal or metaphorical. It is part of the broader verb family around pudota/pudottaa and can be contrasted with pudottivat, the transitive past tense for dropping something.