ajoivat

Ajoivat is the third-person plural past tense form of the Finnish verb ajaa, which means to drive a vehicle or to operate machinery. The form is used when the subject is they, and it translates to “they drove” in English. In Finnish, the past tense typically marks a completed action, and context can influence how it is understood regarding aspect.

In sentences, ajoivat appears with plural subjects. For example: He ajoivat auton kotiin. This demonstrates the basic function of the form: describing a past action performed by multiple people. Finnish verbs are highly inflected, and ajoivat is just one of many past-tense forms derived from the same verb, matching person and number.

Etymology and related forms: Ajoa is a common Finnish verb meaning to drive or operate. Ajoivat comes from this verb’s root combined with the standard past-tense ending for the third-person plural. Other past-tense forms exist for different subjects, but ajoivat specifically targets they.

Usage notes: While Finnish expresses tense through verb endings, Finnish does not encode continuous aspect in the same way as some other languages. The meaning of ajoivat as “they drove” is usually clear from context, and additional words or clauses can indicate duration or simultaneity if needed.

Overall, ajoivat is a standard, widely used form in Finnish for stating that a group performed the act of driving in the past. It is best understood alongside other conjugations of ajaa to grasp full verbal patterns in Finnish.