taistelevat

Taistelevat is the third-person plural present tense form of the Finnish verb taistella, meaning to fight, to struggle, or to contend. The form is used when referring to multiple subjects actively engaging in fighting or struggling, whether physical, political, ideological, or competitive. In Finnish, taistelevat is built from the infinitive taistella and the present-tense ending -vat, yielding the translation "they fight" or "they are fighting" depending on context.

The verb can describe literal combat, as in "Naiset taistelevat oikeuksiensa puolesta" (Women fight for their rights), or figurative struggles, such as social campaigns or competitive efforts: "Urheilijat taistelevat kultamitaleista" (Athletes fight for gold medals). It can also describe collective action by groups or organizations, for example "Kaupungit taistelevat ilmastonmuutosta vastaan" (Cities fight climate change). The object after taistella often takes the partitive case or is expressed with vastaan for "against," indicating the direction of the struggle.

Taistelevat is closely related to kamppailla, another Finnish verb for struggle or contend, and both can be used to describe conflict, advocacy, or competition. The form is common in news reporting, political discourse, sports commentary, and literature.

Note: Finnish verbs indicate person and number through endings rather than tense markers; taistelevat specifically marks present tense for the plural third person.