taipuvat

Taipuvat is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Finnish verb taipua, meaning to bend, yield, or become flexible. The form is used when the subject consists of multiple entities that bend or yield under some external influence, such as wind, pressure, or argument. In a metaphorical sense it can describe people or groups that yield to pressure or change position.

Morphology and usage: Taipuvat is formed from the stem taipu- plus the present-tense plural ending -vat, marking third-person plural. The verb taipua is intransitive; taipuvat describes an action performed by the subject itself, not caused by a direct object. The past tense plural form is taipuivat.

Examples: Puut taipuvat myrskyn voimasta. Pelaajat taipuvat vastustajilleen, kun he yhdistävät voimansa. In everyday language, taipuvat can describe flexible materials as well as flexible attitudes or plans.

Relation to related forms: The related verbs taivuttaa means to bend, twist, or tilt something; taipuisa is an adjective meaning flexible. The term taipuvat is common in Finnish prose and everyday speech and does not refer to a separate grammatical category beyond its tense and number information.