tulevad

Tulevad is the third-person plural present tense form of the Estonian verb tulla, meaning "to come." It is used with plural subjects, such as nad (they) or plural noun phrases, to express an action that is occurring now or in the near future. In Estonian, present tense forms cover both present time and near-future events.

Morphology and related forms: Tulevad is formed from the verb stem tule- plus the present-tense ending -vad. The full present tense paradigm of tulla is tulen, tuled, tuleb, tuleme, tulete, tulevad. Thus tulevad specifically corresponds to "they come." The lemma of the verb is tulla; tulevad is an inflected form rather than a standalone lexical entry.

Usage and nuance: Tulevad is common in everyday speech and writing. It can describe real-time movement or arrangements expected soon. Like other Estonian finite verb forms, tulevad must agree in person and number with the subject.

Examples:

- Nad tulevad varsti. They are coming soon.

- Inimesed tulevad täna õhtul. People are coming this evening.

Notes: Estonian verbs, including tulla and its forms, rely on person-number agreement. Tulevad is one of several inflected forms of tulla and differs from other forms such as tulen (I come) or tuleb (he/she comes).