tarvitsevien

Tarvitsevien is a Finnish grammatical form—the genitive plural of the present-active participle adjective tarvitseva, meaning “needing” or “in need.” It is used to refer to a group characterized by need in phrases where the group is linked to another noun in the genitive, typically in formal or policy-oriented language.

Morphology: Tarvitseva is declined like a standard Finnish adjective. In the genitive plural, adjectives ending in -va take the ending -ien, yielding tarvitsevien. When used in a larger noun phrase, the phrase is typically in genitive, as in tarvitsevien oikeuksien turvaaminen, meaning “the protection of the rights of those in need.”

Usage: The term is common in statistics, policy documents, and legislation to denote “those in need.” It is less common in everyday speech, where speakers may opt for more explicit equivalents such as ne, jotka tarvitsevat or ihmiset, jotka tarvitsevat. Tarvitsevien should be used with care to avoid a demeaning tone and to maintain precise relationships between the groups described and the actions or rights discussed.

See also: Finnish grammar, participles, genitive constructions.