The five Finnish infinitives
1. The first infinitive
The first infinitive form of a verb is the "dictionary entry" form. This corresponds to the English 'to' form, for example:
| English | Finnish |
| sanoa | to say |
| käydä | to visit |
| valita | to choose |
| harjoitella | to practise |
| häiritä | to disturb |
The first infinitive contains verbs of 6 kinds, each of which has its own rules when conjugating the verbs. Learn more about the verb types here.
There is also such a thing as the long form of the first infinitive.
2. The second infinitive
This corresponds to the English "while -ing" form. It behaves as a noun: it can be inflected, but only in the inessive and the instructive.
The second infinitive is formed by replacing the final -a/-ä of the first infinitive with -e, then adding the appropriate inflectional ending. If the vowel before the -a/-ä is already an -e-, this becomes
-i- (see example from 'lukea' = 'to read').
| Examples: |
| Sanoessani kiitos katson toista silmiin. |
| = While saying thanks, I look the other person in the eyes. |
| Ruokaa tehdessä käytän suolaa. |
| = While making food, I use some salt. |
| Mikko nukahti lukiessaan kirjaa. |
| = Mikko fell asleep while reading a book. |
| Sanoessasi kiitos, olet kohtelias. |
| = When saying thank you, you are polite. |
| Tehdessä töitä, työpäivä kestää usein kahdeksan tuntia. |
| = When you do work, the workday lasts usually eight hours. |
| Hän puhui puhelimessa, ajaen samalla autoa. |
| = He talked to the phone, while driving a car. |
| Hän pakeni paikalta juosten. |
| = He escaped from the spot, running. |
| Hän lähti huoneesta sanoen nähdään. |
| = He left the room, saying see you. |
3. The third infinitive
This corresponds to the English verbal noun (-ing form). It behaves as a noun: it can be inflected, but only in a limited number of cases. It is used to refer to a particular act or occasion of the verb's action.
The third infinitive is formed by taking the verb stem with its consonant in the strong form, then adding -ma/-mä, followed by the case inflection.
Note that the -ma/-mä form without a case ending is called the agent participle. The agent participle can also be inflected in all cases, producing forms which look similar to the third infinitive.
| Examples: |
| Hän on lukemassa kirjastossa. |
| = He's reading in the library. |
| Risto menee katsomaan elokuvan. |
| = Risto will go to watch a movie. |
| Katja tuli juuri syömästä. |
| = Katja just came back from having eaten. |
| Lukemalla voi elää monta elämää. |
| = By reading you can live many lives. |
| Olin lukematta lehteä viikon. |
| = I was without reading the newspaper for a week. |
Want to know more? Check the page about the third infinitive!
4. The fourth infinitive
The fourth infinitive has the stem ending -minen. You use it when you are combining two verbs. In English you would use the -ing form of the verb; Finns add -minen. This nounalized verb can be inflected in all the cases.
| Examples: |
| Autolla ajaminen on helppoa. |
| = Driving a car is easy. |
| Pidän ruoan laittamisesta. |
| = I like preparing food. |
| Harrastan lukemista. |
| = I enjoy reading as a hobby. |
| Nautin auringon ottamisesta. |
| = I enjoyed sunbathing. |
| Lopetin tupakoimisen eilen. |
| = I quit smoking yesterday. |
Want to know more? Check the page about the fourth infinitive!
5. The fifth infinitive
This is a fairly rare form which has the meaning 'on the point of ...ing / just about to ...'
| Example: |
| Olin lukemaisillani... |
| = I was just about to read... |
| Related grammar |
|
The third infinitive :
The fourth infinitive :
The inessive : The instructive : The agent participle |