sekoittuvat

Sekoittuvat is Finnish for the process of becoming mixed or mingling. It is the present tense, third-person plural form of the intransitive verb sekoittua, which means to become mixed or to blend with one another. The form emphasizes that the elements themselves undergo the mixing rather than one element actively causing it.

The verb is commonly used across domains such as cooking, science, art, and social contexts. In cooking, it can describe ingredients that blend together; in science, substances that homogenize; in culture and society, how ideas, cultures, or populations merge or influence each other. Because sekoittua is intransitive, sekoittuvat is used when the subject is plural and the action is performed by the parts themselves, often with the sense of interaction or mutual blending.

Grammatical notes: sekoittuvat is contrasted with sekoittaa, the transitive counterpart meaning “to mix something.” The past tense forms are sekoittui (singular) and sekoittuivat (plural). The past participle is sekoittunut, used with forms of olla (has/have mixed) when describing completed mixing.

Examples: Värit sekoittuvat toisiinsa. Kansakunnat sekoittuvat monikulttuurisessa kaupungissa. In practice, some mixtures may be immiscible, in which case sekoittuvat conveys the idea of attempted or partial blending rather than complete homogenization.

See also: sekoittaa, sekoittuminen, sekoittumisilmiö.