The Conditional Perfect Passive
When imagining alternative histories—like how ancient architectural wonders might have been constructed differently—we use the conditional perfect passive. This structure expresses what would have been done in the past by an unspecified group of people.
Forming the Conditional Perfect Passive
Creating this form is straightforward. It consists of the auxiliary verb olisi (the third-person singular conditional of olla) followed by the passive past participle of the main verb. The passive past participle always ends in -tu or -ty.
| Verb | Passive Past Participle | Conditional Perfect Passive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| tehdä | tehty | olisi tehty | would have been made |
| rakentaa | rakennettu | olisi rakennettu | would have been built |
| suojata | suojattu | olisi suojattu | would have been protected |
| koristella | koristeltu | olisi koristeltu | would have been decorated |
In affirmative passive sentences like these, the object (the thing being built or protected) typically appears in its basic nominative form. Additionally, when stating what material something would have been built out of, Finnish uses the elative case (-sta/-stä).
| This pyramid would have been made out of concrete. | Tämä pyramidi olisi tehty betonista. |
| The new foundation would have been built from concrete and steel. | Uusi perustus olisi rakennettu betonista ja teräksestä. |
When describing what something would have been decorated with, use the adessive case (-lla/-llä) to indicate the instrument or material.
| The dark chamber would have been decorated with gold. | Pimeä kammio olisi koristeltu kullalla. |
You can use this structure to talk about hypothetical outcomes or plans that were interrupted by historical events.
| When the war started, the bridge would have been destroyed. | Kun sota alkoi, silta olisi tuhottu. |
Finally, in spoken or highly colloquial Finnish, you will often hear olisi shortened to ois. The grammar and meaning remain exactly the same!
| I know that that chamber would have been decorated immediately. | Mä tiiän, et toi kammio ois koristeltu heti. |