Making a Change (tehdä + -ksi)
In Finnish, when you want to say that an action causes someone or something to enter a new state—such as making a day special or making a trip unforgettable—you use the verb tehdä (to make) alongside the translative case.
The translative case indicates a change into a new condition. It is formed by adding the ending -ksi to an adjective or noun.
[tehdä] + [Object] + [Adjective in Translative]
| This good deed made the day special. | Tämä hyvä teko teki päivän erityiseksi. |
| The big favor made the trip unforgettable. | Suuri palvelus teki matkan unohtumattomaksi. |
Cheering Up and Comforting
Before looking at how to change a person's mood with tehdä, let's look at two common verbs used for acts of kindness: piristää (to cheer up) and lohduttaa (to comfort). These verbs directly take a partitive object (such as minua or häntä).
| A sweet treat often cheers me up. | Makea herkku piristää minua usein. |
Often, you will see these verbs combined with a tehdä clause to explain the final result of the comforting action.
| A warm hug comforted him and made him peaceful. | Lämmin halaus lohdutti häntä ja teki hänet levolliseksi. |
Making Someone Feel Something
When using tehdä to describe changing a person's mood, the person is the direct object. Personal pronouns usually appear in their accusative forms (like sinut, hänet, or teidät).
If the object is plural, remember that the translative adjective must also be plural. For example, when the object is teidät (you all), the adjective toiveikas (hopeful) becomes toiveikkaiksi.
| The news made you hopeful. | Uutinen teki teidät toiveikkaiksi. |
| I want to comfort you and make you hopeful again. | Haluan lohduttaa sinua ja tehdä sinut taas toiveikkaaksi. |
| Even a small hug can make a sad friend happy. | Pienikin halaus voi tehdä surullisen ystävän iloiseksi. |