vertailivat

Vertailivat is a Finnish verb form that indicates the action of comparing in the past by a plural subject. It is the third-person plural imperfect (past tense) of the verb verrata, which means “to compare.” The form is used when several subjects performed or were performing a comparison.

In Finnish, verbs are inflected for person and number, and the imperfect tense expresses a past activity. Vertailivat therefore translates to “they compared” or “they were comparing.” The singular third-person past form is vertaili, while the plural form vertailivat signals that more than one subject is involved. The base verb verrata is related to the noun vertailu, which means “comparison.”

Common usage involves discussing comparisons between items, data, methods, opinions, or results. For example, tutkijat vertailivat eri tutkimusmenetelmiä means “the researchers compared different research methods.” The form can appear in narratives, scientific writing, or any context where past comparative activity is described.

Related terms include vertailu (the act or process of comparing) and verrata (the infinitive form meaning “to compare”). The word set is frequently encountered in academic and analytical Finnish, where precise reporting of comparative actions is common.

In summary, vertailivat is the standard Finnish past tense form for “they compared,” derived from verrata, and is used to describe plural subjects conducting comparisons in the past.