To express a craving or a sudden desire to do something, Finnish uses the phrase tekee mieli (literally, "makes the mind").
This requires the genitive experiencer structure:
- Put the person experiencing the craving in the genitive case (-n).
- Add the fixed phrase tekee mieli. The verb is always third-person singular, regardless of who is craving.
- Add what you are craving: a noun in the partitive case, or an action verb in the 1st infinitive (dictionary form).
Craving Things
When craving a specific food or item, put it in the partitive case.
| I crave ice cream. | Minun tekee mieli jäätelöä. |
| The boy craves chocolate. | Pojan tekee mieli suklaata. |
| I am craving a greasy hamburger. | Minun tekee mieli rasvaista hampurilaista. |
Feeling Like Doing Something
To express wanting to do something, use the 1st infinitive. If that verb has an object (like drinking coffee or eating junk food), standard object rules apply.
| We feel like drinking coffee. | Meidän tekee mieli juoda kahvia. |
To ask a question, attach the question particle -ko / -kö to the verb, creating Tekeekö...?
| Does he feel like sleeping? | Tekeekö hänen mieli nukkua? |
| He feels like snacking on junk food. | Hänen tekee mieli napostella roskaruokaa. |
Changing Tenses and Verbs
The word mieli never changes, but the verb tehdä conjugates to match different tenses or modalities. You can use the perfect tense (on tehnyt mieli) for past experiences, or combine it with a modal verb like saattaa (might).
| Have you ever craved Finnish salty licorice? | Onko sinun koskaan tehnyt mieli suomalaista salmiakkia? |
| We might crave junk food, such as hamburgers and potato chips. | Meidän saattaa tehdä mieli roskaruokaa, kuten hampurilaisia ja perunalastuja. |
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