aiheuttavat

Aiheuttavat is the third-person plural present tense form of the Finnish verb aiheuttaa, meaning to cause or to give rise to. It is used when the subject of the sentence is plural and performs the action of causing something. For example, myrskyt aiheuttavat sähkökatkoja means storms cause power outages.

Etymology and form: The verb aiheuttaa is built from the noun aihe (cause, motive) with a causative suffix -uttaa. Aiheuttavat, as the present tense plural, follows regular Finnish verb conjugation for this verb class. Other forms include aiheutan (I cause), aiheutat (you cause), aiheuttaa (he/she/it causes), and aiheuttivat (they caused).

Usage and context: Aiheuttavat is common in news, science, and everyday language when describing causal relationships. It can attribute effects to multiple factors, for example: Tekijät kuten hapensaaste ja melu aiheuttavat terveysongelmia. In academic or risk contexts, phrases like riskitekijät, jotka aiheuttavat sairauksia, are typical. The term is often contrasted with passive or assimilated forms such as aiheutuu (it is caused) or aiheutettuna (caused).

Related terms: The related noun aiheen or aiheuttaminen (the act of causing) and aiheuttaja (causer) are commonly used in discussions of causation. While aiheuttavat focuses on the active performance of causing in plural subjects, other forms convey passive or resultant meanings.

In summary, aiheuttavat activates the idea of multiple agents or factors causing an effect, and it is a standard element in Finnish discussions of causation across various domains.