Pysähtyä

Pysähtyä is a Finnish verb meaning to come to a stop, to pause, or to halt. It is used both literally, for example when a vehicle or person stops moving, and figuratively, for instance when progress or a thought process comes to a halt. The verb describes a change from motion or activity to rest or interruption.

Etymology and grammar: Pysähtyä is linked to the noun pysähdys and belongs to the group of Finnish -yä verbs. In present tense the third-person form is pysähtyy (he/she stops), and other common forms include pysähty- across different persons. The past tense is pysähtyi (stopped), and the past participle is pysähtynyt (stopped). The related transitive verb pysäyttää means to stop something or someone. The verb can appear in imperative form as pysähdy (stop, singular) and pysähdykää (stop, plural).

Usage notes: Pysähtyä is versatile in both concrete and abstract contexts. Examples include: Juna pysähtyi asemalle. (The train stopped at the station.) Auto pysähtyi liikennevalojen kohdalla. (The car stopped at the traffic lights.) Hän pysähtyi miettimään, ennen kuin vastasi. (He paused to think before replying.) In contrast, pysäyttää is used when the subject causes something else to stop.

See also: pysähdys (a stop or halt), pysäyttää (to stop something or someone). The term is common in both everyday speech and written Finnish.