äänesti

Äänesti is the third-person singular past tense form of the Finnish verb äänestää, meaning "to vote" or "to cast a vote." It describes a completed voting action by a subject in the past, and is commonly used in descriptions of elections, referendums, or other decision-making processes. For example, Hän äänesti eilen means "He/She voted yesterday."

Grammatical note: äänestää is the infinitive. The simple past tense forms include minä äänestin, sinä äänetit, hän äänesti, me äänestimme, te äänestitte, he äänestivät. The form äänesti is specifically the third-person singular past tense. Finnish also uses the passive past form äänestettiin, meaning "was/were voted" or "a vote was held," and the past participle äänestetty functions as an adjective meaning "voted."

Etymology and related terms: äänestää is historically related to the word ääni, meaning "voice" or "vote." The verb reflects the traditional notion of voting by voice or by declaring consent. Related terms include äänestys (the act of voting), äänestäjä (voter), äänimäärä (vote count), and äänioikeus (the right to vote).

Usage notes: äänesti appears in narrative or report contexts to anchor events in the past. It is used with both individual and collective subjects who performed a vote. The word is neutral and widely used in political reporting, history writing, and everyday language about elections.