Tiedostavat

Tiedostavat is a Finnish word that has two main uses in everyday language. It can be the third-person plural present tense of the verb tiedostaa, meaning “they are aware” or “they realize,” and it can also be the plural nominative form of the adjective tiedostava, meaning “aware” or “conscious.” In its adjective use, tiedostavat modifies nouns, as in tiedostavat ihmiset, meaning “the aware people.”

Etymology and grammar: The verb tiedostaa comes from the noun tieto, meaning knowledge, with the verb suffix -staa. The present tense plural form is tiedostavat. The adjective tiedostava is formed with the participial suffix -va, and its plural nominative is tiedostavat. It can take standard Finnish inflection, for example: tiedostavat ihmiset (the aware people), tiedostavia ihmisiä (to/for the aware people, partitive).

Usage: As a verb, tiedostavat appears in sentences such as Hallituksen jäsenet tiedostavat riskit, meaning “The members of the government are aware of the risks.” As an adjective, it is used to describe groups or attributes, e.g., Tiedostavat kuluttajat suosivat ympäristöystävällisiä tuotteita, “Aware/Conscious consumers prefer environmentally friendly products.” The nuance of tiedostava is often closer to mindful or deliberately aware, while tietoinen is a more common everyday synonym.

See also: Related Finnish terms include tietoinen (aware), tietoisuus (awareness), tiedostaminen (awareness-raising), and itsenäisesti used phrases such as tiedostaminen ilmenee ja tiedostavat valinnat in consumer discourse.