Fusing Conjunctions with the Negative Verb
In formal written Finnish, such as corporate guidelines, it is standard to combine certain subordinating conjunctions with the negative verb ei.
Instead of writing the conjunction and the negative verb separately, they fuse into a single word. Because the negative verb inflects for person, the fused conjunction must also inflect to match the subject!
The three conjunctions that do this are että (that), jotta (so that), and jos (if).
| Person | että + ei (that... not) | jotta + ei (so that... not) | jos + ei (unless / if not) |
|---|---|---|---|
| minä | etten | jotten | ellen |
| sinä | ettet | jottet | ellet |
| hän / se | ettei | jottei | ellei |
| me | ettemme | jottemme | ellemme |
| te | ettette | jottette | ellette |
| he / ne | etteivät | jotteivat | elleivät |
Ettei (That... not)
When reporting negative rules or requirements, että (that) merges with the negative verb to form ettei.
| The company's guidelines require that no one breaks the law. | Yhtiön ohjeistus vaatii, ettei kukaan riko lakia. |
Remember to conjugate the ending if the subject is "we" or "you":
| The manager reminds us about data protection, so that we don't forget it. | Johtaja muistuttaa meitä tietosuojasta, ettemme unohda sitä. |
Jottei (So that... not)
To express purpose—explaining why something is done to avoid a negative outcome—jotta (so that) fuses with the negative verb to become jottei.
| We provide the new guidelines, so that the department doesn't make mistakes anymore. | Annamme uuden ohjeistuksen, jottei osasto tee enää virheitä. |
| The employee reports the misconduct, so that the company doesn't suffer. | Työntekijä ilmoittaa väärinkäytöksestä, jottei yritys kärsi. |
Ellei (Unless / If... not)
When stating conditions and exceptions, jos (if) merges with the negative verb. Notice that the stem changes to ell- before adding the personal endings. This translates to "unless" or "if not".
| The agreement requires secrecy, unless the CEO gives permission. | Sopimus vaatii salassapitoa, ellei toimitusjohtaja anna lupaa. |
| A sanction follows the violation, unless you improve your behavior. | Rikkomuksesta seuraa sanktio, ellet paranna käytöstäsi. |