suosittelivat

Suosittelivat is Finnish for they recommended, functioning as the plural past tense form (imperfect indicative) of the verb suositella, meaning to recommend. It is used to describe recommendations that were made in the past by a group of people or entities, and it appears in both written and spoken Finnish.

The verb suositella derives from the noun suositus, meaning a recommendation or endorsement. Related forms include suositellaan (it is recommended), suosittelee (he/she/it recommends), and suosittelevat (they recommend). The past tense form suosittelivat follows the regular Finnish pattern for third-person plural imperfect, attaching the suffix -ivat to the stem suosittele- (or the past stem form). As such, the form indicates both tense (past) and subject number (plural).

In usage, suosittelivat can appear in news reports, reviews, reports, and everyday speech. It often introduces statements about what a committee, organization, publication, or group advised or endorsed at a previous time. Examples: Hallituksen jäsenet suosittelivat uutta lainsäädäntöä. Tutkimusryhmä suosittelivat lisävarotoimia. Netissä asiakkaat suosittelivat tuotetta ystävilleen.

Notes for readers: suositella is a versatile verb meaning to recommend or endorse; suosittelivat specifically marks a plural subject in the past. The form is distinct from the singular past suositteli (he/she recommended) and from present forms like suosittelee (recommends) and suosittelevat (recommend).