Toimivat

Toimivat is a Finnish word derived from the verb toimia, meaning to function or operate. It has two principal grammatical roles: as the third-person plural present tense form of toimia, and as the plural nominative form of the present active participle of toimia, used adjectivally to mean “operating” or “functional” when describing nouns.

In practice, toimivat is used to describe plural things that are working. As a participle in attributive position, it appears before nouns: toimivat laitteet (devices that work), toimivat ohjelmistot (software that runs). The nuance is that it conveys current functionality rather than a general capability. In technical writing you will also see it used with relative clauses: laitteet, jotka toimivat, meaning devices that operate. The standard contrast is with toimiva, the general adjective meaning “functional” or “operational”; toimiva describes a single item or a general quality, while toimivat marks plurality or appears in finite verb form.

The finite verb use is common in ordinary sentences: Laitteet toimivat. They operate (or work). As a descriptive or technical term, toimivat commonly appears in manuals, product descriptions, and system documentation to indicate that multiple components are in working order at the time of writing. Overall, toimivat serves both as a verb form and as an attributive participle, enabling concise statements about current operation of multiple items.