auttavien

Auttavien is a Finnish grammatical form used as a nominalized participle meaning "the ones who help." It is derived from the present active participle auttava ("helping") and inflects to auttavien in the genitive plural. In such use, auttavien functions as a noun phrase referring to people who perform helping actions, often in contexts describing groups or organizations of helpers. For example: "Auttavien ryhmä kokoontui" ("The group of those who help convened"), "toiminta auttavien järjestöjen kautta" ("activity through organizations of helpers").

Usage and frequency: The form is relatively formal and mainly found in written Finnish or formal speech; more common terms for "helpers" are auttajat (the helpers) or avustajat (assistants).

Etymology and grammar: The word comes from auttava (present active participle of auttaa "to help"). The suffix -ien marks genitive plural for adjectives or participles; the construction auttavien + noun expresses "of those who help" or "the helping ones."

Related terms and see also: auttaminen (to help), auttaja/auttajat (helper), avustaminen (assistance).