muuttua

Muuttua is a Finnish intransitive verb meaning to become or to change in state. It describes a transformation of the subject into a different condition and is used without a direct object. The change can be physical, social, emotional, or situational, and it often implies a shift over time rather than a deliberate act by an agent.

In usage, the resulting state is usually expressed with the translative case, marked by the suffix -ksi. For example, ilmailu voi muuttua kylmäksi or the weather can become cold: Ilma muuttui kylmäksi. Other common constructions include muuttua joksikin (to become something), as in Hänestä tuli ystävällinen or Hän muuttui ystävälliseksi. The verb appears in various contexts, from weather and conditions to personal or societal changes.

Conjugation of muuttua follows standard Finnish verb patterns. Present tense: muutun, muutut, muuttuu, muutumme, muututte, muuttuvat. Imperfect/past tense: muutuin, muutuit, muuttui, muutimme, muutuitte, muuttuivat. Perfect tense: olen muuttunut, olet muuttunut, on muuttunut, olemme muuttuneet, olette muuttuneet, ovat muuttuneet. The participial forms include muuttunut (past participle), used in perfect constructions, and the infinitive is muuttua.

Muuttua is the intransitive counterpart to muuttaa, which is transitive and means to change something or to move something. Because muuttua denotes a change of state rather than a deliberate action on an external object, it cannot take a direct object in the same way muuttaa does. The verb is common in everyday Finnish, used both literally and metaphorically to describe processes of becoming.