koostavat

Koostavat is a Finnish verb form meaning they compose, constitute, or make up. It is the third-person plural present tense of the verb koostaa, used when the subject performs the action of forming a whole from parts. The sense is transitive, taking a direct object that denotes the result of the composition or constitution.

In Finnish, the related intransitive verb koosuta koosta is koosta? Actually the common intransitive for “to consist of” is koostua. The distinction can be subtle: koostavat describes subjects that actively form or make up something, while koostuvat describes subjects that inherently consist of certain parts. For example: “Nämä kolme osaa koostavat kokonaisuuden” means the three parts together constitute the whole, whereas “Kokonaisuus koostuu näistä osista” would express that the whole consists of these parts.

Usage and nuance: Koostaa is widely used in formal, technical, and descriptive Finnish to indicate that components come together to form a larger entity. It often appears in analyses, reports, and explanations of structures, systems, or groups. The noun form koostumus exists to refer to a composition or makeup, highlighting the resulting arrangement rather than the act of forming.

Examples:

- Nämä kolme osaa koostavat kokonaisuuden.

- Hankkeen suunnitelma koostaa koko ohjelman aikataulun.

- Useat tekijät koostavat tämän ilmiön.

Translations to English include “to compose,” “to constitute,” or “to make up.” Koostuva, koostua, and koostumus are related terms that express related ideas about composition, being composed of, or a composition.