rohkaisevat

Rohkaisevat is the plural nominative form of the Finnish adjective rohkaiseva, meaning encouraging or uplifting. It is used to describe something that provides encouragement when the noun it modifies is plural. Common collocations include rohkaisevat sanat (encouraging words), rohkaisevat viestit (encouraging messages), and rohkaisevat tarinat (inspiring stories).

Etymology and grammar: The word derives from the verb rohkaista (to encourage) and the present-participle suffix -va, which forms adjectives with the meaning “encouraging.” In plural form, the adjective takes -vat to agree with a plural noun: rohkaisevat. The corresponding singular form is rohkaiseva, and the related noun is rohkaisu (encouragement).

Usage and nuance: rohkaisevat is a neutral descriptor commonly found in journalism, education, psychology, and everyday language to characterize content that supports morale or motivation. It does not carry strong evaluative weight beyond “encouraging.” Examples: “Nämä rohkaisevat sanat auttoivat häntä jatkamaan” (These encouraging words helped him/her to continue); “rohkaisevat tarinat voivat vahvistaa resilienssiä” (encouraging stories can strengthen resilience).

Related terms: rohkaista (to encourage), rohkaisu (encouragement), rohkaisua (encouragement as a concept).