Language/Finnish/Grammar/Finnish-Verb-Tenses

Finnish Grammar → Intermediate Finnish → Finnish Verb Tenses

As you progress toward fluency in Finnish, you'll need to learn the other verb tenses, such as conditional and imperative. This lesson will focus on those key concepts.

Finnish Conditional

Finnish conditional is used to indicate a hypothetical situation or action. It is indicated by adding -isi- to the stem of the verb.

For example:

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
Minä puhu-	/'puhu/	I speak
Minä puhuisin	/'puhuisin/	I would speak

In this example, the verb "puhua" in its infinitive form is "puhu". To add the Finnish conditional, "isi" must be added after the "u" in "puhu" - giving you "puhuisi". Finally, add the required personal endings (see previous lessons) to match the subject.

Finnish Imperative

The Finnish imperative mood is used to give direct commands or orders. It is unique in that it only applies to the second person singular and plural, as well as the first person plural. Unlike conditional, it is not conjugated based on person, but rather on formality.

For instance:

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
Tule!	/'tule/	Come! (singular informal)
Tulkoon!	/'tulkoon/	Let him/her come! (singular formal)

In the command, the basic form of the verb is used, which is the same as the third person singular.

Conclusion

Mastering Finnish verb tenses, such as the conditional and the imperative, is key in becoming more fluent in the language. Now that you have learned about these concepts, you can incorporate them into your everyday Finnish conversation.

Sources

• Present Tense, Conditional Mood
• Imperative Mood of Finnish verbs

Table of Contents - Finnish Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Introduction to Finnish

• Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Basic Sentence Structure

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Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

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Nouns and Adjectives

• Noun Cases
• Adjective Agreement

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Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-20
• Telling Time

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Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Daily Activities

• Daily Routine
• Hobbies and Leisure

  ---

Questions and Negation

• Forming Questions
• Negation

  ---

Food and Dining

• Food Vocabulary
• Dining Out

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Prepositions and Postpositions

• Prepositions
• Postpositions

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Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

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Finnish Culture and Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Finnish Sauna

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Weather and Seasons

• Weather Vocabulary
• Seasons

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Conjunctions and Subordinate Clauses

• Conjunctions
• Subordinate Clauses

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Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships

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Finnish Literature and Music

• Finnish Literature
• Finnish Music

Related Lessons

• Finnish Participles
• How to Use Be
• Possessive Case in Finnish
• Asking Directions in Finnish
• Finnish Verbs: Present Tense
• Prepositions
• Negation
• Questions
• Nouns
• Finnish Sentence Structure