Language/Finnish/Grammar/Finnish-Verbs:-Past-Tense

Finnish → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Finnish Verbs: Past Tense

Welcome to another exciting lesson in our "Complete 0 to A1 Finnish Course"! Today, we’ll dive into the fascinating world of Finnish verbs and their conjugation in the past tense. Understanding how to express actions that have already occurred is crucial for effective communication in Finnish. Whether you're reminiscing about your last holiday or sharing experiences with friends, mastering the past tense will enhance your conversational skills.

In this lesson, we’ll cover:

• The importance of the past tense in Finnish

• An overview of how to conjugate regular and irregular verbs in the past tense

• The concept of vowel harmony, which is essential for forming the correct verb endings

• Practical examples to illustrate these concepts

• Exercises to help you practice what you've learned

So grab your notebooks, and let's get started!

The Importance of the Past Tense in Finnish

In Finnish, the past tense is used to describe actions that have already taken place. This tense allows you to recount stories, share your day, and engage in meaningful conversations about past experiences. In Finnish, verbs are conjugated differently based on the subject and the tense, which gives the language its unique structure.

Conjugating Regular Verbs in the Past Tense

Finnish verbs are categorized into different types based on their infinitive forms. For our purposes, we'll focus on regular verbs, which follow a predictable pattern when conjugated in the past tense.

To conjugate regular verbs in the past tense:

1. Identify the verb stem.

2. Add the appropriate past tense ending based on the subject.

Here’s a basic overview of the endings:

• Minä (I): -in

• Sinä (you): -it

• Hän (he/she): -i

• Me (we): -imme

• Te (you plural/formal): -itte

• He (they): -ivat

Let's look at some examples:

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
puhuin	ˈpuɦuin	I spoke
puhuit	ˈpuɦuit	You spoke
puhui	ˈpuɦui	He/She spoke
puhuimme	ˈpuɦimːe	We spoke
puhuitte	ˈpuɦitte	You (plural) spoke
puhuivat	ˈpuɦivɑt	They spoke

The verb puhua (to speak) serves as a good starting point. Notice how we drop the -a from the infinitive and add the appropriate past tense endings.

Conjugating Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense

Irregular verbs in Finnish don’t always follow the standard conjugation patterns, which can make them a bit tricky. A common irregular verb in Finnish is olla (to be). Its past tense forms are:

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
olin	ˈolin	I was
olit	ˈolit	You were
oli	ˈoli	He/She was
olimme	ˈolimːe	We were
olitte	ˈolitːe	You (plural) were
olivat	ˈolivɑt	They were

Each irregular verb has its own unique forms, so it’s essential to practice and memorize these.

Vowel Harmony

Vowel harmony is a vital aspect of Finnish grammar. In Finnish, vowels are divided into two categories: front vowels and back vowels. The type of vowel in the root of the word influences the endings you can use.

• Front vowels: ä, ö, y

• Back vowels: a, o, u

When conjugating verbs, it’s crucial to maintain harmony. For example:

• A verb with a front vowel will take front vowel endings.

• A verb with a back vowel will take back vowel endings.

Consider the verb tulla (to come):

• Past tense: tulin (I came), tulit (you came) - both have back vowels.

Conversely, with the verb syödä (to eat):

• Past tense: söin (I ate), söit (you ate) - both have front vowels.

Practical Examples

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s look at more examples using various regular and irregular verbs:

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
kirjoitin	ˈkirjoi̯tin	I wrote
kirjoitit	ˈkirjoi̯tit	You wrote
kirjoitti	ˈkirjoi̯tti	He/She wrote
kirjoitimme	ˈkirjoi̯timːe	We wrote
kirjoititte	ˈkirjoi̯titːe	You (plural) wrote
kirjoittivat	ˈkirjoi̯tivɑt	They wrote
menin	ˈme̞nin	I went
menit	ˈme̞nit	You went
meni	ˈme̞ni	He/She went
menimme	ˈme̞nimːe	We went
menit	ˈme̞nitːe	You (plural) went
menivät	ˈme̞nivɑt	They went

Here, we've used kirjoittaa (to write) and mennä (to go) as examples. Notice the pattern in how the verbs are conjugated.

Exercises

Now it's time to put your knowledge to the test! Below are some exercises designed to reinforce what you've learned about Finnish verbs in the past tense.

Exercise 1: Conjugate the following verbs in the past tense

1. To play (pelata)

2. To read (lukea)

3. To hear (kuulla)

Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with the correct past tense form

1. Minä ______ (syödä) pizzaa.

2. He ______ (tulla) kotiin.

3. Me ______ (nukkua) hyvin.

Exercise 3: Identify the vowel harmony in the following verbs

1. Tanssia (to dance)

2. Puhua (to speak)

3. Juoda (to drink)

Exercise 4: Translate the following sentences into Finnish

1. I was happy.

2. We spoke Finnish.

3. They went to the store.

Exercise 5: Match the verbs with their past tense forms

1. To see (nähdä)

a. Näin

2. To give (antaa)

b. Annoin

3. To find (löytää)

c. Löysin

Solutions to Exercises

Here are the solutions to the exercises above. Check your answers and see how you did!

Exercise 1 Solutions

1. pelasin

2. luin

3. kuulin

Exercise 2 Solutions

1. Minä söin pizzaa.

2. He tulivat kotiin.

3. Me nukkuimme hyvin.

Exercise 3 Solutions

1. Tanssia - front vowel

2. Puhua - back vowel

3. Juoda - back vowel

Exercise 4 Solutions

1. Olin onnellinen.

2. Puhumme suomea.

3. Menivät kauppaan.

Exercise 5 Solutions

1. a

2. b

3. c

Congratulations on completing this lesson! By learning how to conjugate Finnish verbs in the past tense and understanding vowel harmony, you’ve taken a significant step towards mastering the Finnish language. Keep practicing, and you’ll find that using the past tense will soon become second nature.

Remember, the key to language learning is consistency and practice. Feel free to return to this lesson as needed, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions!

Table of Contents - Finnish Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Finnish

• Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Basic Sentence Structure

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Nouns and Adjectives

• Noun Cases
• Adjective Agreement

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-20
• Telling Time

  ---

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

  ---

Prepositions and Postpositions

• Prepositions
• Postpositions

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

  ---

Finnish Culture and Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Finnish Sauna

  ---

Weather and Seasons

• Weather Vocabulary
• Seasons

  ---

Conjunctions and Subordinate Clauses

• Conjunctions
• Subordinate Clauses

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships

  ---

Finnish Literature and Music

• Finnish Literature
• Finnish Music

Sources

• Finnish Grammar Beginner's Guide (even if you hate grammar)
• Finnish Tenses: Expressing the Past, Present, and Future
• Finnish verb conjugation - Wikipedia
• Imperfekti - Past tense in Finnish - Random Finnish Lesson

Other Lessons

• Finnish Nouns: Inflection and Gender
• Future Tense
• Prepositions
• Definite Articles in Finnish
• Possessive Case in Finnish
• Finnish Participles
• Adjectives
• How to Use Have
• Finnish Verbs: Present Tense
• Questions