kuuntelevia

Kuuntelevia is the partitive plural form of the present active participle kuunteleva, which comes from the Finnish verb kuunnella meaning “to listen.” In Finnish, participles can function as adjectives and, in some cases, as noun-like modifiers. The form kuuntelevia is used when the participle modifies a plural noun in the partitive case, for example kuuntelevia osallistujia (“listening participants”). This usage emphasizes ongoing listening or attentiveness.

In practice, kuuntelevia describes people or groups characterized by listening or attentiveness. It is commonly used in descriptions of events, discussions, interviews, or studies where the focus is on participants who are listening or receptive to information. The construction typically occurs within noun phrases, and the participle agrees with the noun it modifies in number and case.

Examples include: Keskustelussa oli kuuntelevia osallistujia, meaning “There were listening participants at the discussion.” Tiedotus tilaisuudessa keskittyi kuunteleviin ihmisiin, meaning “The briefing focused on the listening people.” Such phrases highlight a quality (listening) rather than identifying a specific fixed group.

Kuuntelevia is a grammatical form rather than a standalone concept, and its meaning is derived from the broader Finnish grammar surrounding participles, adjectives, and the partitive case. See also: Finnish present active participles, partitive case, kuunnella.