kielivät

Kielivät is a Finnish verb form used to express that a group or plural subject prohibited or forbade something in the past. It is derived from the verb kieltää, which means to forbid or to deny. In standard Finnish, this form marks a completed action carried out by multiple actors.

Morphology and function: Kielivät appears as the finite past tense for third-person plural subjects. It is used when reporting on actions taken by governments, organizations, or other collectives, and it commonly appears in historical writing, journalism, and formal prose. The form conveys that a prohibition or denial was effectuated at a point in the past.

Usage and nuance: The sense of kielivät centers on prohibition, though in some contexts it can also carry a sense of denial of an accusation or claim, depending on surrounding language. In legal or administrative texts, it often describes official decisions, bans, or restrictions that were imposed previously. In narrative or historical prose, it helps situate events where several actors collectively limited actions or access.

Related forms: The related infinitive is kieltää (to forbid). The noun form for prohibition is kielto (ban, prohibition). Other related verbs include kieltyä (to abstain from) and kieltäytyä (to refuse). These forms share the same root and are used in overlapping but distinct ways to discuss prohibitions, refusals, and denials.

See also: kieltää, kielto, kieltyä, kieltäytyä.