veisivät

Veisivät is a Finnish verb form meaning “they sang” or “they chanted.” It is the third-person plural imperfect (past tense) of the verb veisata, which denotes singing hymns or chanting, often in a religious or ceremonial setting. The infinitive of this verb is veisata, and related forms include veisu, the noun veisu or virsi (hymn), and veisaaminen (the act of singing hymns).

In use, veisivät appears in texts describing groups performing hymns or chants in the past. Because veisaaminen is a somewhat literary or historical term, veisata itself tends to appear in religious, historical, or poetic contexts rather than everyday speech. The verb typically takes an object in the partitive or singular accusative when referring to hymns, for example veisasivat virsiä kirkossa meaning “they sang hymns in the church.”

Morphologically, veisivät demonstrates the standard Finnish pattern for the third-person plural imperfect: the ending -ivät marks the past tense and plural subject. The stem is veisa-, with necessary inflectional adjustments shown by the verb’s endings in context.

Etymologically, veisata is tied to the act of singing hymns or liturgical poetry. The form veisivät is therefore closely associated with descriptions of communal singing, choral performance, or ceremonial recitation in Finnish literature and religious practice.

See also: veisata, virsi, veisu.