Duration in Negative Sentences
In Finnish, when you want to say that something has not happened "for" a certain period of time, the time expression must be in the illative case.
For singular time words, this usually means adding a lengthened vowel and -n (or -seen / -hVn). For plural words, you will use the plural illative marker, which typically ends in -iin or -hin.
| We haven't messaged for a week. | Emme ole viestitelleet viikkoon. |
| We haven't seen each other for an eternity. | Emme ole nähneet toisiamme iäisyyteen. |
| It was not fixed for years. | Sitä ei korjattu vuosiin. |
Modified Time Expressions
If the time word is modified by an adjective or a pronoun—such as "long" (pitkä) or "many" (moni)—both the modifier and the noun must be put into the illative case.
For instance, pitkä aika (a long time) becomes pitkään aikaan, and moni kuukausi (many months) becomes moneen kuukauteen.
| He probably will not speak to me for a long time. | Hän ei todennäköisesti puhu minulle pitkään aikaan. |
| I miss you, because we haven't met for many months. | Kaipaan sinua, koska emme ole tavanneet moneen kuukauteen. |
Catching Up After Absences
When catching up after a long time, you will often talk about missing people and asking for their news (kuulumiset).
Finnish has two common ways to express missing someone: using the verb kaivata, or using the noun ikävä (the longing) with the verb olla.
| I haven't heard any news for weeks. | En ole kuullut kuulumisia viikkoihin. |
| I miss you terribly, because we haven't met for an eternity. | Minulla on kauhea ikävä sinua, koska emme ole tavanneet iäisyyteen. |