Sulaantuvat

Sulaantuvat is a Finnish verb form that means “they melt” or “are melting.” It comes from the intransitive verb sulaantua, which describes a process of thawing or dissolving solids into a liquid, typically due to heat or contact with a warmer environment. The form sulaantuvat is the third-person plural present indicative, used when the subject is a plural noun such as jäät (ice), lumi (snow), or aineet (substances).

The term is commonly used in natural science, geography, meteorology, and everyday language to describe thawing processes. In climate-related contexts, it appears in sentences like Jää ja lumi sulaantuvat keväällä or Napajäätiköt sulaantuvat ilmaston lämpenemisen vuoksi. In chemistry or materials science, it may describe substances that dissolve or lose rigidity when exposed to heat or solvent, for example Kivennäisaineet sulaantuvat kuumuuden vaikutuksesta. Figuratively, sulaantuvat can also describe the easing of tensions or the breakdown of rigid structures, such as "jännitteet sulaantuvat" in a cooperative discussion.

Grammatically, sulaantuvat is a finite verb form that agrees with a plural subject. Its infinitive is sulaantua; related nouns include sulaaminen (melting, thawing) and sulaus (melting, fusion). The word shares its root with sula, the noun meaning a melt or thaw, and with other forms such as sulaantua in different tenses and moods.