Toistuivat

Toistuivat is Finnish, serving as the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the intransitive verb toistua. It translates to “they recurred” or “they repeated themselves” in English, referring to events, phenomena, or statements that occurred again in the past.

The base verb toistua conveys repetition or reoccurrence, typically describing things that happen more than once or return after a period. It is intransitive, so it does not take a direct object. In addition to toistuivat, the verb forms include toistui (singular past), toistuu (present), and on toistunut (present perfect), among others. The mood and aspect align with standard Finnish finite verb conjugation.

Usage notes: toistuivat is commonly found in journalism, scientific reporting, and narrative prose to indicate recurring occurrences, patterns, or repeated questions. It is suited for describing phenomena observed across time, such as research results, events, or typical behaviors that reappear.

Etymology: toistua derives from roots related to repetition. It is connected to toisto (repetition) and toistaa (to repeat) in meaning, with toistua focusing on the recurrence of events rather than intentional repetition by an agent.

See also: toistaa, toisto, toistuminen, toistuva.

Example sentences:

- Kysymykset toistuivat useaan otteeseen keskustelussa. (The questions recurred several times during the discussion.)

- Samanlainen ilmiö toistui vuosittain tutkimuksessa, ja toistuivat havaittavat trendit. (A similar phenomenon recurred annually in the study, and the observable trends repeated.)