Words ending with 'e'

Terve! This post is about the Finnish words that end with the vowel e. Here are some examples:

• Kylpyhuoneessa haisee homeelta. - It smells like mold in the bathroom.
• Sinä et tarvitse uutta tietokonetta. - You don't need a new computer. 
• Kenen vaatteet nämä ovat? - Whose clothes are these?

Yes, the e doubles in the stem, partitive has two t's and a consonant change is possible.

• Nominative osoite: Tämä on mun uusi sähköpostiosoite. - This is my new email address. 
• Genitive osoitteen: Olen kadottanut sun osoitteen. - I've lost your address. 
• Partitive osoitetta: Etkö sä tiedä sun omaa osoitetta? - Don't you know your own address?
• Plural partitive osoitteita: Miksi sinä et ole kirjottanut sun kavereiden osoitteita ylös? - Why haven't you written down your friends' addresses?

Here are some random e-words:

• huone, perhe, vene, hame, herne, terve, kappale, vaate, kone, home (room, family, boat, skirt, pea, well/healthy (not sick), chapter, piece of clothing, machine, mold)

These ones have a consonant change - a weak grade in the basic form but strong grade in the stem:

• taide, tiede, osoite, lomake, esite, näyte, kastike, tilanne, tavoite (art, science, address, form that you fill in, brochure, sample, sauce/dressing, situation, goal)

Notice that many e-words derive from a verb:

• pyyhkiä > pyyhe - to wipe > a towel
• polttaa > polte - to burn > a burning feeling
• jättää > jäte - to leave > a waste
• katsoa > katse - to watch > a look

The swear words perkele (devil) and perse (ass) also belong to this group. Notice the swearing structure where you have the first swear word(s) in the genitive form:

• Perkeleen perkele!

Another classic is quite vulgar, but so often used:

• Tämä on ihan perseestä. - This totally sucks. (You can do the exact translation, right?)

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About the author of this blog:  

My name is Hanna Männikkölahti, and I am a native Finn who gives private lessons via Skype and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please leave a comment, if you have something to ask about Finnish or novels in easy Finnish.

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