Võivad

Võivad is the third-person plural present tense form of the Estonian modal verb võima, meaning to be able to or may. It indicates that the subject is able to perform an action or that the action is possible for them, and it is commonly used to express possibility, potentiality, or permission in combination with another verb in the infinitive.

Conjugation and usage: The full present tense forms of võima are võin, võid, võib, võime, võite, võivad. The form võivad appears with plural subjects: Nad võivad tulla. The verb is typically followed by an infinitive, as in Nad võivad minna või Nad võivad aidata. In negative or prohibition contexts, Estonian more often uses other constructions such as ei saa (cannot) or ei tohi (must not), or uses tohib for direct permission in a different modality.

Etymology and relatives: Võivad is derived from võima, a Proto-Finnic verb closely related to Finnish voida (to be able). The Estonian form mirrors the Finnish paradigm, illustrating the shared Finnic heritage of these modal verbs.

Examples and notes: Võivad is versatile in both real and hypothetical contexts: Need asjad võivad juhtuda (Such things may happen). See võib juhtuda becomes more speculative with singular subjects, while Nad võivad olla eksinud illustrates possibility for plural subjects. While võima covers ability and possibility, nuance between modality and permission is often clarified by context or by using other verbs such as tohin or ei tohi when appropriate.