istuvat

Istuvat is a Finnish verb form meaning "they sit." It is the third-person plural present indicative of the verb istua, which means to sit or be seated. In Finnish, verbs are conjugated for person and number, so istuvat marks a plural subject performing the action in the present tense. The present tense forms of istua are: istun, istut, istuu, istumme, istutte, istuvat. The stem for this tense is istu- with the suffix -vat (or -vät depending on vowel harmony).

Istuvat is commonly used in everyday speech to describe people, animals, or objects in a seated position. It can appear in a variety of contexts, such as "He istuvat pöydän ääressä" (They are sitting at the table) or "Kissat istuvat tuolilla" (The cats sit on the chair). The related present participle is istuva, used as an adjective meaning "sitting," for example "istuva koira" (a sitting dog).

The verb istua is a basic, intransitive verb in Finnish and occurs across registers, from casual conversation to formal writing. The key distinction to note is that istuvat specifically refers to a plural subject in the present tense, whereas other forms (such as istuu for singular) reflect different persons and numbers.

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