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

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

Welcome to our lesson on Finnish Verbs in the Present Tense! This is an exciting step in your Finnish language journey, as mastering verbs is essential for effective communication. Understanding how to conjugate verbs in the present tense will allow you to express what you do, what you feel, and what is happening around you in real-time.

In Finnish, verbs are dynamic and can convey a lot of information about the subject, the tense, and even the mood. The present tense is particularly important because it is used for actions that are currently happening, general truths, or habitual actions.

In this lesson, we will cover:

• The concept of verb stems

• How to conjugate regular verbs in the present tense

• Examples of everyday verbs

• Practice exercises to solidify your understanding

Let’s embark on this linguistic adventure together!

Understanding Verb Stems

Before we dive into present tense conjugations, we need to understand verb stems. A verb stem is the part of the verb that remains when you remove the infinitive ending. In Finnish, the infinitive form of verbs typically ends in "-a" or "-ä".

For example:

• puhua (to speak) → stem: puhu-

• kirjoittaa (to write) → stem: kirjoita-

Knowing the stem is crucial as it forms the basis for conjugating the verb into different tenses and forms.

Conjugating Regular Verbs in Present Tense

Finnish verbs can be categorized into several types based on their endings. In this lesson, we'll focus on the most common type: type 1 verbs, which end in -a or -ä in their infinitive form. The present tense conjugation is relatively straightforward.

Here’s how it works:

1. Remove the infinitive ending (-a or -ä) to find the stem.

2. Add the appropriate present tense endings depending on the subject pronoun.

The present tense endings for type 1 verbs are as follows:

• I (minä): -n

• You (sinä): -t

• He/She (hän): - (no ending)

• We (me): -mme

• You (plural) (te): -tte

• They (he): -vat or -vät

Let's illustrate this with a table of example verbs:

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
puhua	puh-ua	to speak
syödä	syö-dä	to eat
kirjoittaa	kir-joit-ta	to write
juoda	juo-da	to drink
pelata	pe-la-ta	to play

Now, let’s see how these verbs are conjugated in the present tense:

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
minä puhun	minä puh-un	I speak
sinä puhut	sinä puh-ut	you speak
hän puhuu	hän puh-uu	he/she speaks
me puhumme	me puhu-mme	we speak
te puhutte	te puh-ut-te	you (plural) speak
he puhuvat	he puhu-vat	they speak

You can see that the verb changes based on the subject pronoun. Let’s look at another set of verbs:

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
minä syön	minä syö-n	I eat
sinä syöt	sinä syö-t	you eat
hän syö	hän syö	he/she eats
me syömme	me syö-mme	we eat
te syötte	te syö-tte	you (plural) eat
he syövät	he syö-vät	they eat

And one more example:

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
minä kirjoitan	minä kir-joit-an	I write
sinä kirjoitat	sinä kir-joit-at	you write
hän kirjoittaa	hän kir-joit-taa	he/she writes
me kirjoitamme	me kir-joit-am-me	we write
te kirjoitatte	te kir-joit-at-te	you (plural) write
he kirjoittavat	he kir-joit-tavat	they write

Summary of Present Tense Conjugation

• Remove the infinitive ending (-a or -ä).

• Add the correct endings based on the subject pronoun.

• Remember that the verb stem is the foundational part of the verb.

Practice Exercises

Now that you have learned about present tense conjugation, it’s time to practice! Below are exercises designed to help you apply what you've learned.

1. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb "puhua" (to speak):

• minä _______

• sinä _______

• hän _______

• me _______

• te _______

• he _______

2. Conjugate the verb "pelata" (to play) in the present tense:

• minä _______

• sinä _______

• hän _______

• me _______

• te _______

• he _______

3. Translate the following sentences into Finnish:

• I drink water.

• You (singular) eat bread.

• They write letters.

4. Conjugate the verb "juoda" (to drink) in the present tense:

• minä _______

• sinä _______

• hän _______

• me _______

• te _______

• he _______

5. Fill in the blanks with the correct verb form of "syödä" (to eat):

• minä _______

• sinä _______

• hän _______

• me _______

• te _______

• he _______

6. Choose the correct form of the verb "kirjoittaa" (to write) based on the subject pronoun:

• (minä, minä kirjoit____)

• (te, te kirjoit____)

• (he, he kirjoit____)

7. Create sentences using the following verbs in present tense:

• puhua

• syödä

• pelata

8. Match the Finnish sentences with their English translations:

• a) Me juomme vettä.

• b) Hän kirjoittaa kirjaa.

• c) Te puhutte suomea.

i) You speak Finnish.

ii) We drink water.

iii) He/She is writing a book.

9. Identify the verb stem for the following verbs:

• tulla (to come)

• nähdä (to see)

• tehdä (to do)

10. Conjugate the following verbs in the present tense:

• tulla

• nähdä

• tehdä

Solutions and Explanations

Here are the solutions to the exercises along with explanations.

1. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb "puhua":

• minä puhun

• sinä puhut

• hän puhuu

• me puhumme

• te puhutte

• he puhuvat

Explanation: Each form is derived by removing the -a from "puhua" and adding the appropriate endings.

2. Conjugate the verb "pelata":

• minä pelaan

• sinä pelat

• hän pelaa

• me pelaamme

• te pelaatte

• he pelaavat

3. Translate the following sentences into Finnish:

• I drink water. → Minä juon vettä.

• You (singular) eat bread. → Sinä syöt leipää.

• They write letters. → He kirjoittavat kirjeitä.

4. Conjugate the verb "juoda":

• minä juon

• sinä juot

• hän juo

• me juomme

• te juotte

• he juovat

5. Fill in the blanks with the correct verb form of "syödä":

• minä syön

• sinä syöt

• hän syö

• me syömme

• te syötte

• he syövät

6. Choose the correct form of the verb "kirjoittaa":

• (minä, minä kirjoitan)

• (te, te kirjoitatte)

• (he, he kirjoittavat)

7. Create sentences using the following verbs:

• Minä puhun suomea. (I speak Finnish.)

• Sinä syöt omenan. (You eat an apple.)

• He pelaavat jalkapalloa. (They play football.)

8. Match the Finnish sentences with their English translations:

• a) Me juomme vettä. → ii) We drink water.

• b) Hän kirjoittaa kirjaa. → iii) He/She is writing a book.

• c) Te puhutte suomea. → i) You speak Finnish.

9. Identify the verb stem for the following verbs:

• tulla → tule-

• nähdä → näe-

• tehdä → tee-

10. Conjugate the following verbs:

• tulla:

• minä tulen

• sinä tulet

• hän tulee

• me tulemme

• te tulette

• he tulevat

• nähdä:

• minä näen

• sinä näet

• hän näkee

• me näemme

• te näette

• he näkevät

• tehdä:

• minä teen

• sinä teet

• hän tekee

• me teemme

• te teette

• he tekevät

Congratulations on completing this lesson on Finnish verbs in the present tense! Remember, practice makes perfect. Keep using these verbs in your daily conversations, and you will see improvement in your Finnish skills in no time!

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 Tenses: Expressing the Past, Present, and Future
• Finnish Grammar Beginner's Guide (even if you hate grammar)
• Finnish grammar - Wikipedia
• The unbearable beauty of Finnish grammar - thisisFINLAND

Other Lessons

• Basic Finnish Phonetics
• Finnish Adjectives and Pronouns
• How to Use Have
• Conditional Mood
• Finnish Sentence Structure
• The Finnish Alphabet
• Negation
• Nouns
• Finnish Participles
• Give your Opinion