Suhtauduvat

Suhtauduvat is the third-person plural present tense form of the Finnish verb suhtautua, which means to regard, to treat, or to have an attitude toward something. In standard Finnish the present plural form is usually written as suhtautuvat. The word suhtauduvat appears in some texts as a common misspelling or mispronunciation of that form.

Usage and meaning

Suhtautua expresses the stance or attitude one has toward people, ideas, policies, changes, or situations. It is used to describe how groups or individuals view or respond to something. The verb can convey a range of attitudes from positive or favorable to negative or cautious, depending on the context and adverbial modifiers.

Grammatical notes

The verb is typically used with a direct object in relation to what is being regarded or approached, and it can take various case forms depending on the surrounding sentence structure. In everyday Finnish, the verb commonly appears in phrases such as “suhtautua myönteisesti” (to view positively) or “suhtautua kriittisesti” (to view critically).

Examples

Correct standard form: Kansalaiset suhtautuvat hallituksen toimenpiteisiin myönteisesti. They regard the government’s measures positively.

Correct alternative usage: Tutkijat suhtautuvat uusiin tuloksiin varovaisesti. The researchers view the new results cautiously.

Note on the form discussed here

Because suhtauduvat is a frequent misspelling of suhtautuvat, readers are advised to check spelling in formal writing. The standard form to use in modern Finnish is suhtautuvat.