Formal necessity (tulee)

Formal Necessity with Tulee

You already know how to express necessity using verbs like täytyy and pitää. In formal or official contexts—such as law, business, and taxation—Finnish frequently uses the verb tulla to mean "must" or "is required to".

The structure is identical to other necessity verbs: the subject takes the genitive case, tulee stays frozen in the third-person singular, and the main action verb is in the first infinitive (the dictionary form).

The company must send the tax return in January.
Yrityksen tulee lähettää veroilmoitus tammikuussa.

Describing Requirements

This construction is especially common with the verb olla (to be) when stating strict rules, regulations, or deadlines.

The accounting must be exact because the law requires it.
Kirjanpidon tulee olla täsmällinen, koska laki vaatii sitä.

Pronouns

Just like with täytyy, a pronoun subject must also take the genitive case (e.g., sinä becomes sinun).

You must sign the tax return today.
Sinun tulee allekirjoittaa veroilmoitus tänään.