istunut

Istunut is the past participle of the Finnish verb istua, meaning to sit. In Finnish, past participles can function both as part of verb phrases to express perfect aspect and as adjectives describing a noun. Istunut specifically conveys that someone has sat or is in a seated state.

Morphology and usage: Istunut is formed from the stem istu- plus the suffix -nut. It declines like other -nut participles and agrees with the noun it modifies in number and case (for example, istunut mies, istuneen miehen, istuneita miehiä). It appears in two main ways: as a predicative part of a finite verb phrase in perfect tenses (Hän on istunut koko päivän) and as an attributive adjective before a noun (istunut nainen). The present participle is istuva, which describes ongoing action, while istunut emphasizes a completed action or a seated state.

Examples: Hän on istunut koko päivän pöydän ääressä. Istunut nainen nojautuu pöytään. Hän näki istuvan miehen, joka katseli ohitse.

Origin and related forms: Istunut is the past participle of istua. It is related to other participial forms such as istuva (present participle) and a family of -nut/-nyt adjectives used to describe nouns. The form is common in both written and spoken Finnish, especially in describing states resulting from previous action.