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Finnish frequency list

No. 764 in Finnish

odottavat

"Odottavat" means "they wait" or "they are waiting" in English.

In a sentence

  • Oppilaat odottavat opettajaa.

    The students are waiting for the teacher.

    The word 'odottavat' is used as the main verb in the sentence, meaning 'are waiting' (from the verb 'odottaa'), describing an ongoing action performed by the subject 'students'.

  • He odottavat innolla lomaa.

    They are looking forward to the vacation.

    Here, 'odottavat' expands its meaning to 'are looking forward to', showing anticipation or excitement about a future event, indicating a more figurative rather than physical waiting.

  • Uudet lehdet odottavat tilaajaa postilaatikossa.

    The new magazines are waiting for the subscriber in the mailbox.

    In this instance, 'odottavat' takes a metaphorical role, describing objects (magazines) being in a state of readiness for someone.

  • Opiskelijat odottavat opettajan saapumista luokkaan.

    The students are waiting for the teacher to arrive in the classroom.

    In this sentence, 'odottavat' is the third person plural present tense form of the verb 'odottaa', meaning 'to wait for'. It indicates that multiple people are currently anticipating something.

  • Heillä on odottavat ilmeet, kun suuret uutiset julistetaan.

    They have expectant expressions when the big news is announced.

    Here, 'odottavat' functions as an adjective meaning 'expectant', describing the expressions characteristic of anticipation.

  • Odottavat vieraat tervehtivät hymyillen isäntää.

    The waiting guests greeted the host with smiles.

    In this context, 'odottavat' acts as a participle derived from 'odottaa'. It describes the guests as being in the state of waiting.

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