pidättyvät

Pidättyvät is the third-person plural present tense form of the Finnish verb pidättyä, meaning to refrain, hold back, or restrain oneself. The form is used to describe a group or multiple individuals choosing not to act or to express an opinion in a given situation.

Usage and meaning

Pidättyvät typically indicates deliberate restraint in social, political, or communicative contexts. It can describe people who opt not to speak, act, or take a stand. The construction often appears with an infinitive or a clause that specifies what is being refrained from, for example pidättyvät sanomasta mitään (they refrain from saying anything) or pidättyvät tekemästä jotakin (they refrain from doing something).

Grammatical notes

Pidättyvät is a finite verb in present tense with a plural subject (he, ne, or a plural noun). Finnish syntax often pairs it with infinitival clauses or phrases in -masta/-mättä to express the action being avoided, such as pidättyvät puhumasta tai paikoillaan pysymisestä. The verb is intransitive and describes restraint rather than causing a direct action on an object. Related forms include pidättyä (the infinitive form) and pidättäytyä (a closely related, often more formal synonym meaning to abstain or refrain). The noun form expressing this concept is pidättäytyminen (restraint, abstention).

Etymology and related terms

Pidättyä derives from the Finnish root meaning to hold back or keep in check. Related terms include pidättäytyminen (restraint), as well as pidättäytyä (to abstain). These forms share the core idea of voluntary restraint in behavior or speech.