poistua

Poistua is a Finnish verb meaning to leave or depart, to move away from a place, and more broadly to withdraw from a situation or responsibility. It is an intransitive verb, typically not taking a direct object, and it is commonly used with location or source phrases such as paikalta (from the place), virasta (from the office/position), or tehtävästä (from a task). In addition to physical leaving, it can denote stepping back, ceasing activity, or, in some contexts, disappearing or fading away.

Conjugation (present and common forms)

- Present: minä poistun, sinä poistut, hän poistuu, me poistumme, te poistutte, he poistuvat

- Imperfect: poistuin, poistuit, poistui, poistuimme, poistuitte, poistuivat

- Past participle: poistunut

- Conditional: poistuisin, poistuisit, poistuisi, poistuisimme, poistuisitte, poistuisivat

- Imperative: poistu! (singular), poistukaa! (plural)

- Negative imperative: Älä poistu

Usage notes

The verb is widely used in everyday language as well as formal and news contexts. It can describe someone leaving a location, such as a person departing from a scene or from a workplace, or stepping down from a position: "Hän poistui virasta" means he or she resigned from the post. Other common constructions include "poistua paikalta" (to leave the scene) and variations with other source phrases to indicate withdrawal from responsibilities or situations.

Etymology

The word derives from the Finnish verb stem poista- meaning to remove, but poistua has developed its own lexical meaning centered on leaving, withdrawing, or disappearing.

See also

eroaminen, väistymä, lähteä

This article summarizes the core senses, usage, and basic inflection of poistua for readers seeking a concise reference.

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