vältivat

Vältivat is a Finnish verb form meaning "they avoided," derived from the verb välttää (to avoid). It represents the third-person plural past tense and is used in narratives or reported speech to describe actions in which a group avoided something.

Etymology and form: The Finnish verb välttää belongs to the -ttää class. The past tense for third-person plural is formed with the suffix -ivat (or -ivät after vowel harmony), yielding vältivat. This form follows standard Finnish spelling and inflection rules, aligning with how verbs change to reflect subject and tense in the language.

Usage: Vältivat appears in texts that describe collective actions in the past where avoidance is central. It can refer to avoiding danger, risk, mistakes, obligations, or unwanted outcomes. In news reports, literature, or everyday speech, the form helps convey that a group acted to prevent an undesirable result. Examples include sentences like "He välttivat suuria riskejä" (They avoided major risks).

Relation to other forms: The base verb välttää also appears in other tenses and moods, such as muodossa välttää (present) or vältti (singular past). Proper usage depends on subject agreement and sentence context. Vältivat specifically marks third-person plural past tense.

See also: vä lättää, välttää, Finnish verb inflection, Finnish past tenses.