Category:Finnish fourth infinitives

Fundamental » All languages » Finnish » Non-lemma forms » Verb forms » Infinitives » Fourth

Finnish fourth infinitives.

These forms are the fourth infinitives of Finnish verbs. This form is constructed by adding the suffix -minen to the third-person plural indicative present form from which the personal suffix -vat/-vät is dropped.

tulla ("come") → 3rd-pers. pl. tule|vat + -minen = tuleminen

mennä ("go") → 3rd-pers. pl. mene|vät + -minen = meneminen

• Note the irregularity with olla:

olla ("be") → 3rd-pers. pl. o|vat + -minen = oleminen (-le- has been elided from the personal verb form *olevat)

Usage notes[edit]

The Finnish fourth infinitives are in some cases used as verb forms. There are a few examples below.

• The nominative (uninflected) form is used in an affirmative clause when the action is preferable, the partitive form in an negative clause when it is not preferable.

Sinun on meneminen.

You must go.

Sinne ei ole menemistä.

One must not go there.

• A structure normally conjugated verb + its the fourth infinitive in partitive singular + possessive suffix describes continuing action.

Hän juoksi juoksemistaan.

S/he ran and ran. / S/he kept running.

However, these forms are also used as nouns corresponding to English gerunds and other nouns describing action. These nouns can be inflected like normal nouns (see declension tables for back vowel harmony and front vowel harmony cases).

men|nä (to go) → men(e)|minen (going)

lisäänty|ä (to reproduce) → lisäänty|minen (reproduction).