Raapuvat

Raapuvat is a Finnish verb form meaning “they scratch” or “they scrape.” It is the present tense, third person plural form of the verb raapia, which denotes scratching, scraping, or removing material by rubbing with claws or a tool. The form raapuvat is used when the subject of the sentence is plural.

Usage and nuances: Raapuvat covers a range of concrete actions, from animals scratching surfaces to humans scraping or abrading with nails or tools. It can describe both physical scratching, such as a cat scratching furniture, and more general scraping actions like removing a coating or layers from a surface. The word is neutral and belongs to standard Finnish, suitable for descriptive and informational contexts as well as everyday speech. In figurative uses, raapuvat can convey efforts to reach, uncover, or retrieve something through persistent action, though these senses are less common than the literal meaning.

Examples: Kissat raapuvat puuta kynsillään. Tämä koira raaputtaa maata kynsillään. Lattiaa raapivat kengät märillä pohjilla, jolloin kuuluu ääni. These sentences illustrate typical plural subject usage and the broad range of contexts in which raapuvat can appear.

Related forms and vocabulary: The base verb is raapia; related verbs include raaputtaa (to scratch off, to scrape vigorously) and raapua (to scratch, to claw, to rasp). Finnish learners may encounter related participles and inflected forms across different tenses and moods.

See also: raapia, raaputtaa, raapua.