ilahduttivat

ilahduttivat is a Finnish verb form meaning "they delighted" or "they gladdened." It is the past tense, indicative, active form of the verb ilahduttaa, which means to please, to make happy, or to bring joy to someone. The construction describes actions or events that caused positive feelings in others and is commonly used in journalism, culture, sports, and everyday speech.

Etymology and usage: ilahduttaa is built from the root idea of joy (ilo) combined with a causative sense, effectively meaning "to cause joy." The form ilahduttivat signals that the subject is plural and performed the action in the past. The verb is transitive and typically takes a direct object in the illative/partitive or accusative case, depending on the sentence structure. Common collocations include ilahduttaa jotakuta (to delight someone) and ilahduttaminen (delighting, the act of causing joy).

Grammar notes: In addition to ilahduttivat (past plural), other forms include ilahduttavat (present plural), ilahdutti (past singular), and ilahduttanut (present perfect/pluperfect). The verb belongs to the group of Finnish -uttaa/-duttaa verbs, whose past tense forms are generally formed with the -ivat/-ivät suffixes for plural subjects.

Examples:

- Juhlat ilahduttivat koko kaupungin. (The celebrations delighted the entire city.)

- Lahjoitukset ilahduttivat järjestäjiä. (The donations delighted the organizers.)

- Uutiset ilahduttivat monia lukijoita. (The news delighted many readers.)

See also: ilo (joy), ilahdutus, ilahduttaa (to delight).