Language/Finnish/Grammar/Negation

Finnish Grammar - Negation

Hi Finnish learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on negation in Finnish. Negation, or the ability to say "no" or "not" in a sentence, is a key aspect of any language. It allows us to express negation without having to use a negative sentence.

Basic Negation

Negation in Finnish is expressed with the particle "ei". It is placed in front of the verb that is being negated. For example:

• "Minä en syö lihaa." (I do not eat meat.)

In this sentence, "en" is the negative form of "on". In Finnish, "en" is used as the negative form of "on" in most cases.

Negation of Verbs

To negate verbs in Finnish, you need to add the particle "ei" in front of the verb. In Finnish, the verb does not change when negated. Here is an example:

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
En syö.	[en syy]	I do not eat.
Hän ei tanssi.	[hæn ei taɳsi]	He/She does not dance.
Emme juo.	[ɛmmɛ juɔ]	We do not drink.
Te ette puhu.	[tɛ ɛttɛ puɦu]	You (plural) do not speak.
He eivät ole kotona.	[hɛ eiʋæt ole kɔtɔna]	They are not home.

Note: The pronoun can be left out in most cases since verbs show the person, but adding the pronoun can add emphasis to the subject of the sentence.

Negation of Adjectives & Adverbs

In Finnish, negation of adjectives and adverbs is done by adding the particle "ei" in front of the word. For example:

• "Kissa ei ole iso." (The cat is not big.)

Negation of Nouns

Negation of a noun in Finnish is done by adding "ei ole" in front of the noun. Here is an example using Helsinki as the noun:

• "Helsinki ei ole iso kaupunki." (Helsinki is not a big city.)

Negation of Questions

To negate a question in Finnish, "ei" is added to the beginning of the question. For example:

• "Etkö sinä puhu englantia?" (Don't you speak English?)

Note: The word order in questions changes when negated. The verb comes before the subject in negated questions.

Negation with Other Words

Other words in Finnish can be used to express negation along with "ei". Here are some examples:

• "Vähän" means "a little" or "few". Negated, it means "not much" or "not many". For example: "Minulla on vain vähän rahaa." (I only have a little money.)
• "Yhtään" means "not one" or "not any". For example: "En löytänyt yhtään kirjaa." (I didn't find any books.)
• "Kukaan" means "no one" or "nobody". For example: "Kukaan ei vastannut puhelimeen." (Nobody answered the phone.)

Dialogue

Person 1: Miksi et juo kahvia? (Why don't you drink coffee?) Person 2: En pidä kahvin mausta. (I don't like the taste of coffee.)

Person 1: Haluatko lähteä mukaan elokuviin? (Do you want to come to the movies?) Person 2: Ei kiitos, en pidä elokuvista. (No thanks, I don't like movies.)

Person 1: Osaatko sinä soittaa kitaraa? (Can you play the guitar?) Person 2: Ei, en osaa. (No, I can't.)

Conclusion

Negation in Finnish is a crucial part of the language that should be learned by any intermediate learner of Finnish. Remember to always use "ei" in front of the verb, "ei ole" in front of the noun, and "ei" at the beginning of the question being negated.

To improve your Finnish Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Finnish grammar
• Finland on Wikipedia
• English words of Finnish origin