repäisivät

Repäisivät is a Finnish verb form that conveys the action of tearing, ripping, or shredding something. The base verb is repäistä, which is an intransitive and transitive verb depending on context. Repäisivät is the third person plural present tense, so it translates to “they tear” or “they are tearing.” It is used in both literal and figurative contexts. Literally, it can describe the act of tearing paper, cloth, or fabric. Figuratively, it can refer to the breaking of emotionally charged ties or the destruction of social bonds, such as in the phrase “suhteita repäisivät” meaning “relationships that tear apart.” The verb is irregular in that it breaks the standard consonant gradation pattern; the stem is repäi- and the gerund is repäisy.

In written and spoken Finnish, repäisivät may appear in literature to evoke intensity, especially in descriptions of violence or strong emotions. It is often found in poetry or narrative prose. Because it conveys a physical or emotional disintegration, the verb carries a strong, often negative connotation, indicating loss, damage, or dissolving.

The form is conjugated with the present tense marker -t and the plural pronoun connection, yielding repäisivät. The infinitive is repäistä, the past tense is repäisti, and the past participle is repäistynyt.

Repäisivät functions as a versatile linguistic tool, allowing speakers to describe both tangible acts of ripping and the abstract tearing apart of relationships, memories, or structures. Its usage underscores the Finnish language’s ability to describe physical actions and emotional states with equal vividness.