istuneet

Istuneet is the plural past active participle of the Finnish verb istua, meaning to sit. In Finnish grammar, it functions as an adjective or as a dependent participial phrase attached to a noun, indicating that the noun’s referent has performed the action of sitting in the past. The singular form is istunut, while istuneet agrees with plural nouns. Finnish participles do not reflect gender, so istuneet is used regardless of gender.

Istuneet is typically placed before or after the noun it modifies, depending on emphasis and sentence structure. For example, istuneet ihmiset means “the seated people.” It can also appear in restrictive or nonrestrictive relative clauses: Ihmiset, istuneet penkeillä, kuuntelivat puheenvuoron, meaning “the people who have sat on the benches were listening to the speech.” The function is often equivalent to the English phrase “the people who have sat” or “the seated people.”

The form is derived from the stem istu- plus the past active participle suffix, with adjustments for number and phonology. Istuneet tends to be more formal or literary than simple past-tense constructions and is used when the completed action of sitting is relevant to the description or context. It cannot, by itself, convey precise tense beyond indicating a completed action; the surrounding clause provides temporal reference.

See also: Finnish grammar, participles, past participles.