The Past Tense Negative
To say what you did not do in the past, combine the conjugated negative verb (en, et, ei, emme, ette, eivät) with the past participle of the action verb.
The past participle agrees with the subject's number. Singular subjects take a singular ending (such as -nut / -nyt or -lut / -lyt), while plural subjects take a plural ending (such as -neet or -leet).
| Pronoun | Negative Verb | Participle (olla) | Participle (mennä) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minä | en | ollut | mennyt |
| Sinä | et | ollut | mennyt |
| Hän / Se | ei | ollut | mennyt |
| Me | emme | olleet | menneet |
| Te | ette | olleet | menneet |
| He | eivät | olleet | menneet |
| The alarm clock did not ring in the morning. | Herätyskello ei soinut aamulla. |
| I was not at the clinic, because I was late. | En ollut vastaanotolla, koska myöhästyin. |
| We did not cancel the meeting, but we informed the boss. | Emme peruneet tapaamista, mutta ilmoitimme pomolle. |
Negative Past Questions
To ask a negative question in the past tense, attach the question particle -ko or -kö directly to the negative verb.
- et
- kö = etkö (did you not?)
- eivät
- kö = eivätkö (did they not?)
| Did you not hear the alarm clock? | Etkö kuullut herätyskelloa? |
| Did they not come to the dentist's check-up? | Eivätkö he tulleet hammaslääkärin tarkastukseen? |
Explaining Missed Appointments
You will frequently use the negative past tense to make excuses, especially if you miss or are late to a check-up (tarkastus) at the dentist or clinic.
| on purpose | tahallaan |
| I was not late on purpose, but the alarm clock did not ring. | En myöhästynyt tahallaan, mutta herätyskello ei soinut. |
| He did not want to go to the dentist, because he was tired. | Hän ei halunnut mennä hammaslääkäriin, koska hän oli väsynyt. |
| I did not cancel the check-up because I did not have pain in the tooth. | En perunut tarkastusta, koska minulla ei ollut kipua hampaassa. |
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