kuuluuivat

Kuuluivat is a Finnish verb form meaning “they belonged” or “they were part of.” It is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the verb kuulua, which means to belong or to be part of something. The form is used to describe a past state of membership or affiliation for multiple subjects.

Grammar and usage notes:

- Kuuluivat describes a past belonging relationship, in contrast to kuuluu (present tense, they belong) and kuuluvat (present tense, plural they belong).

- The verb kuulua typically takes a group or entity as the thing to which someone or something belonged, often with another noun in a case that marks the target of belonging (such as an organization, group, or institution).

- In Finnish, membership can be expressed with various illative or genitive constructions depending on the sentence, but the key meaning of kuulua‑ forms is membership or affiliation.

Examples:

- He kuuluivat siihen järjestöön. (They belonged to that organization.)

- Nämä henkilöt kuuluivat moniin eri porukoihin. (These people belonged to many different groups.)

Related forms and terms:

- kuulua (to belong)

- kuuluu (present, singular)

- kuuluvat (present, plural)

- kuului (past singular)

Overview:

Kuuluuivat is primarily used in historical or narrative contexts to indicate that a group of subjects was part of a larger collective in the past. It is a standard inflected form within Finnish verb conjugation and does not carry subjective nuance beyond the past state of affiliation. See also kuulua for general usage and related grammatical forms.