koontavat

Koontavat is a Finnish surface form that appears in the present tense as the third-person plural of a finite verb. It is not a standalone lexical item; its meaning is determined by the underlying verb stem to which the suffix -vat or -vät is attached. In Finnish, the -vat/-vät ending marks third-person plural present tense, and the choice between -vat and -vät follows vowel harmony: -vat is used with stems containing back vowels, while -vät is used with stems containing front vowels.

The exact semantics of koontavat depend on the base verb. If the verb means to gather, assemble, or convene, koontavat would translate roughly as “they gather” or “they assemble” in the appropriate context; with a different root, it could carry a wholly different meaning. As a finite verb form, koontavat may also appear within longer constructions that convey aspect, mood, or time through additional morphemes and auxiliaries.

In linguistic descriptions, koontavat is often cited as an example of Finnish verb conjugation, illustrating how person and number information is encoded on the verb through suffixation rather than separate pronouns. When encountering the form in a text, readers can determine its precise meaning by identifying the infinitive or stem verb it derives from and considering the surrounding context.

See also: Finnish grammar, Verb conjugation, -vat/-vät suffix, Kokoontua, Koota.