This form does two jobs at once. It is the command for several people ("you all, go!") and, because Finnish politeness works through the plural, it is also the courteous way to command one person you address formally with te. Both meanings share a single ending: -kaa/-kää. A waiter, a nurse, or a customs officer will use it on you alone; a coach will use it on a whole team. This page covers building and using that form; the familiar singular is on the singular imperative page and the negative on the negative imperative page.
Building it: strong stem + -kaa/-kää
Attach -kaa/-kää to the verb's strong stem — essentially the infinitive with its final vowel(s) trimmed. Vowel harmony picks -kaa after a back-vowel verb and -kää after a front-vowel one.
| Type | Verb | Command | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | puhua | puhukaa! | Speak! |
| 1 | ottaa | ottakaa! | Take! |
| 1 | antaa | antakaa! | Give! |
| 1 | lukea | lukekaa! | Read! |
| 2 | syödä | syökää! | Eat! |
| 2 | tehdä | tehkää! | Do! / Make! |
| 3 | tulla | tulkaa! | Come! |
| 3 | mennä | menkää! | Go! |
| 3 | juosta | juoskaa! | Run! |
Notice how the type 3 verbs work: from tulla, mennä, juosta you take the consonant stem tul-, men-, juos- and add the ending — tulkaa, menkää, juoskaa. (Their familiar singulars, by contrast, use a vowel stem: tule!, mene!, juokse!.)
Tulkaa sisään, olkaa hyvä!
Come in, please! (to several people, or one person politely)
Menkää suoraan ja kääntykää vasemmalle.
Go straight and turn left. (giving directions formally)
Tehkää tehtävät ensi tunniksi.
Do the exercises for next class. (teacher to students)
The gradation flip: ota! but ottakaa!
This is the point to burn into memory. The familiar singular weakens the stem, but the -kaa/-kää plural keeps it strong. Same verb, opposite grade:
| Verb | Singular (weak) | Plural (strong) |
|---|---|---|
| ottaa | ota! | ottakaa! |
| antaa | anna! | antakaa! |
| lukea | lue! | lukekaa! |
Why the reversal? The singular imperative ends in a (now-silent) historical -k that closed the final syllable and forced the weak grade — ota. The plural ending -kaa adds a full new syllable, so the stem syllable stays open and keeps the strong grade — ot-ta-kaa. You do not need the history to use the forms, but it explains why one verb has two grades. The mechanics of consonant gradation are on their own page.
Ottakaa vapaasti kahvia ja pullaa.
Help yourselves to coffee and buns. (ottaa → ottakaa, strong grade)
Antakaa hänelle aikaa.
Give him some time. (antaa → antakaa)
Using it as the polite singular
There is no separate "polite command" in Finnish — you simply use the plural on one person, exactly as you use the pronoun te to be respectful. This is the register of officials, service staff, and strangers you want to be careful with. More on this sinä-vs-te choice is on the sinä vs te page.
Istukaa, olkaa hyvä.
Please sit down. (a receptionist to one visitor)
Odottakaa hetki, tarkistan asian.
Wait a moment, I'll check. (a clerk to one customer)
Puhukaa hitaammin, olkaa hyvä.
Speak more slowly, please.
Syökää nyt, ruoka jäähtyy!
Eat now, the food's getting cold! (a host to guests)
The negative: -kaa flips to the connegative -ko/-kö
Do not negate this form by keeping -kaa. In the negative imperative, the plural negative verb älkää takes over the person, and the main verb switches its tail from -kaa/-kää to the connegative -ko/-kö — on the same strong stem: puhukaa! → älkää puhuko!, menkää! → älkää menkö!, ottakaa! → älkää ottako!. The connegative -ko/-kö follows vowel harmony just like everything else. The full paradigm is on the negative imperative page.
Älkää unohtako passeja!
Don't forget your passports! (unohtaa → älkää unohtako)
Common Mistakes
❌ Otakaa vähän lisää.
Incorrect — the -kaa form keeps the strong grade; don't weaken it to ota-.
✅ Ottakaa vähän lisää.
Take a little more.
❌ Menette nyt ulos!
Incorrect — that's the te present ('you go'); the command is the -kää form.
✅ Menkää nyt ulos!
Go outside now!
❌ Menkaa sisään!
Incorrect harmony — mennä is a front-vowel verb, so the ending is -kää.
✅ Menkää sisään!
Come in!
❌ Älkää puhukaa niin kovaa!
Incorrect — in the negative the ending becomes the connegative -ko/-kö, not -kaa/-kää.
✅ Älkää puhuko niin kovaa!
Don't speak so loudly!
Key Takeaways
- -kaa/-kää on the strong stem commands several people — puhukaa!, menkää!, ottakaa!, tehkää! — and also politely commands one person (the te register).
- The gradation flips between the two commands: ota! (singular, weak) but ottakaa! (plural, strong); anna! but antakaa!.
- Harmony picks the vowel: -kaa after back verbs (puhukaa, ottakaa), -kää after front verbs (menkää, syökää).
- The negative uses älkää plus the connegative -ko/-kö on the same strong stem: älkää puhuko!, älkää menkö! — never -kaa.
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Start learning Finnish→Related Topics
- Singular Command: mene!A1 — The familiar 'you' command is the bare weak-grade stem, no ending: mene!, puhu!, tule!, syö!, and with gradation ota! (from ottaa), anna! (from antaa).
- The Imperative: CommandsA1 — The Finnish command mood, person by person: familiar mene!, plural/polite menkää!, 'let's' mennään, third-person menköön — and how negatives use älä / älkää.
- Negative Commands: älä, älkää, älköönA2 — How Finnish says 'don't!': the special negative imperative verb älä/älkää/älköön/älkäämme/älkööt plus the connegative in -ko/-kö.
- Addressing People: sinä vs teA2 — Finland's T/V distinction and its modern collapse — why sinä is now the default even with strangers, and why over-using formal te can sound cold rather than respectful.