puuttuvat

Puuttuvat is a Finnish word that primarily functions as the third-person plural present tense form of the verb puuttua, meaning to be missing or to be lacking. It is used with a plural subject to indicate that certain items, data, or pieces of information are not present. For example, Tiedot puuttuvat. means “The data are missing.” The form can also appear in noun phrases where it describes a plural noun, as in puuttuvat tiedot, interpreted as “the missing data.”

Puuttuva is a related present participle/adjective meaning “missing” or “lacking.” It is commonly used before a noun in attributive position, with the plural form puuttuvia tietoja meaning “missing pieces of data” or “missing data items.” In predicative position, the same root appears as puuttuvat tiedot: “The data are missing.”

Usage tends to be frequent in scientific reporting, data analysis, administrative records, and surveys, where the completeness of information is assessed and noted. The term is often contrasted with something like löytyvät (are found) or saatavilla (available), to describe whether information or resources are present.

Etymology traces puuttuvat to the verb puuttua in Finnish, which conveys absence or lack. The word operates within standard Finnish grammar and does not require specialized terminology to be understood in everyday or formal contexts.

See also: puuttua, puuttuva.