luottivat

Luottivat is the past tense form of the Finnish verb luottaa, meaning to trust, rely on, or have confidence in someone or something. It is used to describe a completed action in which a subject placed trust in another person, a group, an institution, or information. The verb often conveys a sense of reliance on reliability or credibility rather than mere belief.

Grammatical notes

Luottaa is a transitive verb. In the past tense, the third-person plural form is luottivat, as in "he luottivat," meaning "they trusted." The corresponding present tense is luottaa, with forms such as "minä luotan" (I trust) and "he luottavat" (they trust). The verb commonly combines with a direct object expressing the target of trust, such as a person (ystävä, kollega), an institution (hallitus, viranomainen), or information (tutkimustulokset, tilastot).

Usage and nuance

Luottaa emphasizes reliance on the reliability or integrity of the object of trust, rather than a simple belief. It is often contrasted with uskota, which more explicitly means to believe. Common constructions include luottaa ihmiseen, luottaa ohjeisiin, or luottaa tilastoihin. In past tense, luottivat is used for plural subjects when describing that trust occurred in the past; negations use eivät luottaneet.

Related forms

The noun luottamus means trust or confidence, and luotettava means reliable. These forms share the same root and describe related concepts such as credibility, trustworthiness, and confidence in a person or system.

See also

luottaa, luottamus, luotettava, uskonto (related semantic area), reliability in Finnish.