In Finnish, you can express that something causes a reaction or a feeling by using causative verbs. These verbs characteristically end in the suffix -ttaa or -ttää (following vowel harmony).
For example, from the basic verb nauraa (to laugh), we get naurattaa (to make laugh). From itkeä (to cry), we get itkettää (to make cry).
Expressing Cause and Effect
When using these verbs, the thing causing the reaction is the subject of the sentence (in the standard nominative case). The person experiencing the feeling is the object, and must always be in the partitive case (e.g., minua, sinua, meitä).
| This comedy makes me laugh. | Tämä komedia naurattaa minua. |
| That sad movie always makes me cry. | Tuo surullinen elokuva itkettää minua aina. |
This structure works exactly the same in questions, and when the experiencer is a regular noun rather than a pronoun. Remember to put the noun in the partitive case as well!
| Does this rollercoaster scare you? | Pelottaako tämä vuoristorata sinua? |
| The comedian makes the audience laugh. | Koomikko naurattaa yleisöä. |
Feelings Without a Direct Subject
Often, a feeling is caused by an entire situation rather than a specific object. In these sentences, the person experiencing the emotion (still in the partitive case) typically moves to the front of the sentence.
The causative verb stays in the third-person singular ("it" makes me feel), and the cause is explained afterward using conjunctions like kun (when) or jos (if).
| It tires me when the comedian is not funny. | Minua väsyttää, kun koomikko ei ole hauska. |
| It embarrasses me when I drop the phone. | Minua nolottaa, kun pudotan puhelimen. |
You can also use this structure on its own to simply state how you feel in general, such as Minua väsyttää (I feel tired, literally: "It tires me") or Mua hävettää (I feel ashamed).
