Selviytyivät

Selviytyivät is a Finnish verb form meaning “they survived.” It is the third-person plural past tense (imperfekti) of the verb selviytyä, which means to survive, endure, or cope with difficult circumstances. The expression can describe literal survival in hazardous situations as well as figurative coping with challenges such as hardship, exams, or crises. It is commonly used in journalism, history writing, and personal narratives.

Grammatical notes: Selviytyä is an intransitive verb, so it does not take a direct object. The past tense for third-person plural is formed by adding the ending -ivät to the stem selviyty- to yield selviytyivät. The corresponding singular past form is selviytyi (he/she survived). The verb is often accompanied by adverbial phrases specifying what was survived, for example a storm (myrskystä), hunger (nälästä), or trials (koettelemuksista).

Usage and nuance: Selviytyivät emphasizes a completed act of surviving or overcoming. It can be used in factual reporting, historical retellings, or narrative prose. In metaphorical contexts, it conveys resilience and the successful management of difficult circumstances rather than merely staying alive.

Related forms: selviytyminen (survival, the act of surviving), selviytyjä (survivor), selviytymisestä (from survival) are common derivatives used to discuss the concept in noun form.

See also: selviytyminen, selviytyjä, selviytyvä (survivor-adjective form).