Taivuttavat

Taivuttavat is a Finnish verb form that denotes “they bend” or “they persuade.” It is the third-person plural present indicative of the verb taivuttaa, which has two core senses: physical bending or shaping, and figurative persuading or coaxing.

In the physical sense, taivuttavat is used when a plural subject causes a material to bend or curve. For example, koneet taivuttavat levyjä puristimella means “the machines bend sheets with a press.” In this sense the verb often appears with objects such as levyjä (sheets), rautaa (iron), or muovia (plastic).

In a figurative sense, taivuttavat can mean to persuade or influence someone to adopt a position or condition. For example, Myyntitiimi taivuttaa asiakkaat hyväksymään ehdon translates to “the sales team persuades the customers to accept the condition.” This usage is common in business or rhetorical contexts.

Grammar and related forms: taivuttavat is finite, present tense, third person plural form of taivuttaa. Related forms include taivuttaa (infinitive, “to bend” or “to persuade”), taivutti (past singular, “bent” or “persuaded”), taivuttivat (past plural), and taivuttaminen (gerund/infinitive noun “bending” or “inflection”). The present active participle is taivuttava, meaning “bending” or “bendable,” and taivutus is a noun meaning both “bending” and, in linguistics, “inflection.”

Etymology: taivuttavat derives from taivuttaa, with taivut- as the root, and the standard Finnish verb conjugation suffix -vat indicating 3rd-person plural present. The root also yields taivutus, a common term for physical bending as well as grammatical inflection.