Addressing an Audience
When leading a tour or welcoming a crowd, you often need formal or group-oriented language. You might start by addressing the group (ryhmä) or audience respectfully using the adjective arvoisa (esteemed).
| Esteemed audience, welcome! | Arvoisa yleisö, tervetuloa! |
| This is a large group. | Tämä on iso ryhmä. |
Plural and Formal Commands (-kaa / -kää)
To give instructions to a group of people ("you all") or to be politely formal with an individual, use the plural imperative mood.
Form this by adding -kaa or -kää (depending on vowel harmony) to the verb's stem.
- kokoontua (to gather) -> kokoontukaa (gather!)
- mennä (to go) -> menkää (go!)
- seurata (to follow) -> seuratkaa (follow!)
| Gather here! | Kokoontukaa tänne! |
| Go inside together! | Menkää yhdessä sisään! |
| Esteemed group, follow the teacher! | Arvoisa ryhmä, seuratkaa opettajaa! |
Directing Movement
When guiding a group, you will frequently pair plural commands with directional words like eteenpäin (forward) or perässä (behind / following). Verbs like siirtyä (to move oneself) are also highly useful for safely managing crowds.
| Walk forward! | Kävelkää eteenpäin! |
| Walk behind the teacher! | Kävelkää opettajan perässä! |
| Move outside! | Siirtykää ulos! |
Enjoy the Trip!
Finally, you can use the plural imperative for polite well-wishes, such as telling your group to enjoy (nauttia) their trip (retki). Remember that the verb nauttia requires the following word to be in the elative case (-sta / -stä).
| Enjoy this trip! | Nauttikaa tästä retkestä! |