Making Hypothetical Comparisons
To compare a situation to an imaginary scenario ("as if" or "as though"), Finnish uses the phrase ikään kuin.
Because the comparison is hypothetical, the verb following ikään kuin must be in the conditional mood, recognizable by the -isi- marker.
| The forest was completely silent, as if it were sleeping. | Metsä oli täysin äänetön, ikään kuin se nukkuisi. |
Notice how the verb nukkua (to sleep) becomes nukkuisi (would sleep) in the conditional.
| It felt as if this were one of the most difficult mazes in the world. | Tuntui ikään kuin tämä olisi yksi maailman vaikeimmista sokkeloista. |
Past and Negative Conditionals
To describe something that had hypothetically already happened, use the perfect conditional: olisi plus the past participle (usually ending in -nut/-nyt or -neet).
| The room became soundless, as if time had stopped. | Huone muuttui äänettömäksi, ikään kuin aika olisi pysähtynyt. |
For negative comparisons, use the negative verb (en, et, ei, etc.) followed by the main verb's conditional form without the personal ending.
| Objects floated toward me, as if there were no gravity. | Esineet leijuivat minua kohti, ikään kuin painovoimaa ei olisi. |
Surreal Experiences and Dreams
Hypothetical comparisons are perfect for describing dreams, illusions, and strange phenomena. You will often encounter them alongside vocabulary like sokkelo (maze), harha (illusion), and painajainen (nightmare).
| We searched for a door in the maze, as if we were escaping some nightmare. | Etsimme ovea sokkelosta, ikään kuin pakenisimme jotakin painajaista. |
| The truth distorted, as if we were living in a great illusion. | Totuus vääristyi, ikään kuin eläisimme suuressa harhassa. |