lähestyvät

Lähestyvät is a Finnish verb form derived from lähestyä, meaning to approach or to come nearer. It is the third-person plural present indicative form, used with a plural subject to express ongoing action in the present: they approach or are approaching. The form can describe physical movement toward a destination, but it is also used metaphorically to indicate that something is near in time, such as approaching events or deadlines.

Grammatically, lähestyvät is a finite verb form that agrees with a plural subject. The corresponding singular present forms are lähestyy (he/she/it), with the other persons as lähestyn, lähestyt, lähestyy, lähestymme, and lähestytte. Finnish often uses present tense to indicate near-future events, so lähestyvät can be used to discuss things that are expected to happen soon as well as things currently happening.

Usage examples:

- Häät lähestyvät. (The wedding is approaching.)

- Joukkueet lähestyvät toisiaan. (The teams are approaching each other.)

- Lähestyvät vuodet tuovat uusia haasteita. (The coming years bring new challenges.)

Etymology and related forms: The form comes from the verb lähestyä, with the present-tense third-person plural suffix -vät. The related present active participle is lähestyvä, used as an attributive adjective meaning “approaching.” Lähestyä and its forms are part of a broader Finnish system for expressing proximity and temporal imminence.