hoitavad

Hoitavat is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Finnish verb hoitaa, meaning to take care of or to care for. It is used when the subject is plural and performs the action in the present.

In Finnish, verbs are conjugated for person and number. The present tense suffixes for the third person plural are typically -vat or -vät, depending on vowel harmony. The form hoitavat uses -vat, which is standard after stems like hoita-.

Examples of usage include sentences such as "Lähihoitajat hoitavat potilaita," meaning that home-care nurses care for patients, and "He hoitavat potilaita," meaning they care for patients. Another example is "Lääkärit ja hoitajat hoitavat potilaita," referring to doctors and nurses who care for patients.

Related forms include other present tense persons of the same verb: minä hoidan, sinä hoidat, hän hoitaa, me hoidamme, te hoidatte, he hoitavat. The negative present is formed with ei: "ei hoida" appropriate to the subject. Hoitavat is not a noun; it is a verb form. A closely related but distinct term is hoitava, a participle or adjective meaning 'caring' or 'caregiving' when used in a descriptive or compound context, though it is less common as a standalone noun.