Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Finnish verbs that are the same in present and past

Pay attention to these verbs, because sometimes it might be really confusing that they look the same when conjugated in positive present and past tenses. The list is actually quite long. Whenever there is an i before the infinitive ending, the verb conjugates (almost) the same way in present and past. The verbs are either verb type 1 or 2 verbs. Verb type 2 is always the same. With verb type 1 verbs, the only thing that makes a difference is the third person singular. In other cases, you'll just have to figure out the meaning from the context.

The present conjugation of tanssia:

  • Minä tanssin - I dance
  • Sinä tanssit  - You dance
  • Hän tanssii - S/he dances
  • Me tanssimme - We dance
  • Te tanssitte  - You dance
  • He tanssivat - They dance

The past tense conjugation of tanssia:

  • Minä tanssin - I danced
  • Sinä tanssit - You danced
  • Hän tanssi  - S/he danced
  • Me tanssimme  - We danced
  • Te tanssitte - You danced
  • He tanssivat - They danced

Here are some common verbs that behave the same way:

Verb type 1:
  1. ehtiä - to have time to do something
  2. etsiä - to look for, to search
  3. imuroida - to vacuum
  4. miettiä - to think in order to find a solution
  5. oppia - to learn
  6. sopia - to agree, to be suit
  7. tanssia - to dance
  8. tutkia - to investigate, to research, to examine

Verb type 2: 
  1. analysoida - to analyze
  2. arvioida - to evaluate
  3. konsertoida - to have a concert
  4. tupakoida - to smoke
  5. uida - to swim
  6. voida - to be able to



About the author of Random Finnish Lesson:


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

How to use 'lukea' in Finnish

Lukea is not just to read, but it is also used in expressions that would probably have the verb to say or something else in other languages. The four important forms are lukea, luen, luin and lukenut.






Notice that we also have luettaa and lueskella. Lukaista means to read something quickly. I'll write about that soon. 


p.s. I also have a post about kirjoittaa!


About the author of Random Finnish Lesson:


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Finnish books for intermediate and advanced learners

I really like the Samalla kartalla book series. You can already get Samalla kartalla 1 and Samalla kartalla 2, and the third one is coming in August. I like to recommend these books for my intermediate students who already know the basic grammar and want to practice reading comprehension, structures and vocabulary. If you want to study really difficult Finnish, check out Finnish for translators.

Here's a post about more material to teach yourself Finnish.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

How to talk about nobody in Finnish

Ei kukaan is nobody. When used in a sentence, it goes like this:

Nominative ei kukaan:


  • Kuka se oli? Ei kukaan. - Who was it. Nobody.
  • Kukaan ei koskaan soita mulle! - Nobody ever calls me!

Genitive ei kenenkään: 


  • en halua puhua kenenkään kanssa. - I don't want to talk with anybody. 
  • Kenen tämä on? Ei kenenkään. - Whose is this? Nobody's.


Partitive ei ketään: 



Elative ei kenestäkään:


  • en tykkää kenestäkään. - I don't like anybody. 
  • Kenestä te puhutte? Ei kenestäkään. - Who are you talking about? Nobody.

Illative ei kehenkään:


  • Mä en luota kehenkään. - I don't trust anybody.


Adessive ei kenelläkään:



Ablative ei keneltäkään:


  • Mä en saanut keneltäkään lahjoja. - I didn't get presents from anybody.


Allative ei kenellekään:


  • Mä en puhunut kenellekään. - I didn't talk to anyone. 
  • Minä en antanut lahjoja kenellekään. - I didn't give presents to anybody.




Lue lisää: (ei) kukaan Wikisanakirjassa


About the author of Random Finnish Lesson: 


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new.