Sekoittivat

Sekoittivat is the third-person plural past tense form of the Finnish verb sekoittaa, meaning to mix, stir, or confuse. It is used to indicate that multiple subjects performed the action in the past, such as combining ingredients, blending substances, or mixing up matters in a figurative sense.

In cooking and science, sekoittivat describes actions where elements are physically combined, for example by stirring or blending them together. In narrative text, it can also convey more abstract mixing, such as ideas or strategies being combined or confused. Because Finnish verbs carry information about person and number in the verb form, the subject is often implicit; sekoittivat specifies that the action was done by they in the past.

Grammatically, sekoittivat is formed as the past tense plural of sekoittaa. The ending -ivat (or -ivät, depending on vowel harmony) marks the 3rd person plural past indicative, and the stem sekoitt- remains audible before the ending. The form is used with a plural subject, with or without an explicit subject noun or pronoun.

Etymology and related forms: sekoittaa stems from the root related to sekoitus (mixture), with bastioned derivations such as sekoittaminen (the act of mixing) and sekoitus (a mixture). Related verbs include sekoittua (to get mixed up, to mingle with) and other compounds built from sekoitta-.

See also: sekoitus, sekoittaminen, sekoittava, sekoittaa.