sammuttavat

Sammuttavat is a Finnish verb form derived from sammuttaa, meaning to extinguish or turn off. It is most often the third-person plural present indicative form of sammuttaa, translating to “they extinguish” in English. In Finnish, subject pronouns are frequently omitted, so examples like Miehet sammuttavat tulipalon illustrate the natural usage where the subject is understood from context.

The form can also function as a present active participle in its plural nominative, where it acts as a descriptive adjective meaning “extinguishing” or “extinguishing-related.” For instance, Sammuttavat järjestelmät can refer to equipment designed to extinguish fires, i.e., extinguishing systems. Context determines whether sammuttavat is read as a finite verb form or as a participial modifier.

Related linguistic notes: sammuttaminen refers to the act of extinguishing, and sammuttaja can denote an extinguisher or the agent that extinguishes (depending on context). The compound palosammutin is a common term for a fire extinguisher.

Usage examples:

- He sammuttavat tulipalon nopeasti. (They extinguish the fire quickly.)

- Sammuttavat järjestelmät ovat tärkeitä rakennusten turvallisuudessa. (Extinguishing systems are important for building safety.)

Sammuttavat is thus a versatile Finnish form linked to the verb sammuttaa, used in everyday language to describe actions of putting out fires or disabling a device, with additional participial usage to modify nouns.