Tuntuvat

Tuntuvat is a Finnish verb form derived from tuntea/tuntua, meaning to feel or to seem. It is the third-person plural present indicative of the intransitive verb tuntua and is used when the subject is plural. The form expresses a subjective perception or impression rather than an objective property. For example, Nämä asiat tuntuvat vaikeilta (These things feel/seem difficult) or Ne tuntuvat väsyneiltä (They seem tired).

Grammatical notes: The verb tuntua inflects for person and number. In present tense, the third-person singular form is tuntuu and the third-person plural form is tuntuvat. In past tense, forms include tuntui (singular) and tuntivat (plural). The verb commonly appears with adjectives in the predicate, and it is typical to express how something feels to the observer or how it appears to them.

Usage and meaning: Tuntua conveys a sense of subjective perception, mood, or appearance from the speaker’s viewpoint. It often aligns with expressions like tuntuu siltä (it feels like) or tuntuu oikealta (it feels right). The sense is closer to perception than to an objectively verifiable attribute. In contrast, vaikuttaa tends to emphasize outward appearance or external evidence rather than the speaker’s immediate sensation.

Related notes: Tuntua can be used in both impersonal and personal constructions, and it is common in everyday language to describe experiences, impressions, or states of things or people. The nuance is subtle and context-dependent, but the core idea remains a felt or perceived quality rather than an established fact.