turvautuvat

Turvautua is a Finnish verb meaning to resort to or rely on someone or something for support, aid, or justification. It describes turning to an outside source for help rather than handling a matter independently.

The verb is used in contexts where a person or group seeks assistance from institutions, people, or resources. Common constructions include turvautua to some form of aid or advice, such as turvautua viranomaisten apuun (to rely on the help of authorities) or turvautua ystävien tukeen (to turn to friends for support). It is also used to indicate appealing to legal or official avenues, for example turvautua lakisääteiseen tukeen.

Grammatically, turvautua is an intransitive verb whose present tense third-person plural form is turvautuvat. The verb typically takes a complement that specifies the source of support, often in illative or genitive form, depending on the construction (for example apuun, neuvoihin, to help of someone). The word derives from turva meaning safety or protection and is closely related to the noun turvautuminen, which refers to the act of resorting to something or someone.

See also: turva, turvata, turvautuminen. Turvautuminen is the nominal form referring to the act of resorting or relying on something. In usage, turvautuvat can appear in formal and informal Finnish to describe seeking external assistance or justification in various situations.