ulkoilevat

Ulkoilevat is a Finnish verb form used to describe people going outside or spending time outdoors. It is the present tense, third-person plural form of the verb ulkoilla, whose basic meaning is to go outside for recreation, exercise, or leisure. The form ulkoilevat is commonly used for subjects such as lapset, perheet, ihmiset, or ryhmät.

Morphology and related forms: The infinitive is ulkoilla, and the third-person singular present is ulkoilee. The past tense is ulkoilivat, and the present plural form ulkoilevat is built from the stem ulkoile- with the present-tense suffix -vat, which marks third-person plural in Finnish. Related nouns include ulkoilu (outdoor activity) and ulkoilua (outdoor recreation); these terms describe the broader concept of spending time outdoors and are often used in discussions about health, education, or urban planning.

Usage and context: Ulkoilevat is neutral in tone and is widely used in everyday Finnish, including conversations, school communications, media reports, and public health texts. It can describe routines (for example, children who go outside after class) or current actions (people who are outdoors at a given moment). The form often appears with time references such as joka päivä (every day) or illalla (in the evening), and can be combined with adjectives or other nouns to specify the outdoor activity.

Translations and nuance: In English, ulkoilevat typically translates as “they go outside” or “they are outdoors.” The nuance depends on context, ranging from casual activity to a general statement about outdoor time.