The Spoken Conditional
In written Finnish, you form the conditional ("would do something") by adding -isi- and a personal ending. In everyday spoken Finnish (puhekieli), this is often drastically shortened: the personal ending is dropped entirely, leaving just -is.
This single, clipped -is form is used across almost all persons. You simply rely on the spoken pronouns (mä, sä, se, ne) to make it clear who is doing the action.
| Written | Spoken | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| minä menisin | mä menis | I would go |
| sinä ostaisit | sä ostais | you would buy |
| hän söisi | se söis | he/she would eat |
| he viitsisivät | ne viitsis | they would bother |
| I'd feel like leaving for the countryside. | Mua huvittais lähteä maaseudulle. |
| I'd suggest that we order pizza. | Mä ehdottais, että me tilataan pizza. |
| I'd eat at least a whole pizza. | Mä söis ainakin koko pizzan. |
The exact same clipped form is used when talking about other people or things, in both positive and negative sentences.
| He'd dream of a long trip. | Se haaveilis pitkästä reissusta. |
| They wouldn't bother cleaning the kitchen. | Ne ei viitsis siivota keittiötä. |
Polite Requests and Questions
The conditional is perfect for making polite requests or asking hypothetical questions. In spoken Finnish, when you attach the question particle -ko/-kö to these shortened verbs, the word simply ends in -isko or -iskö.
A very common spoken reduction is the verb olla (to be), which usually shrinks down to ois in the conditional.
| Written | Spoken | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| kelpaisiko | kelpaisko | would it be acceptable? |
| viitsisikö | viitsiskö | would (someone) bother? |
| olisiko | oisko | would it be? |
| Would someone mind giving me a ride? | Viitsiskö joku antaa mulle kyydin? |
| Would this old car do for you, or would a new one be better? | Kelpaisko sulle tää vanha auto, vai oisko uusi parempi? |