The Conditional Present Passive
When proposing new ideas—like city planning or infrastructure changes—you often want to suggest what would or should be done generally, without specifying exactly who will do the work. For this, Finnish uses the conditional present passive.
The easiest way to form the conditional present passive is to build it from the past passive form of the verb. Replace the final -iin with -aisiin or -äisiin (depending on vowel harmony).
| Verb | Past Passive | Conditional Passive | Meaning |
|---|
| purkaa | purettiin | purettaisiin | would be demolished |
| rakentaa | rakennettiin | rakennettaisiin | would be built |
| lisätä | lisättiin | lisättäisiin | would be added |
| uudistaa | uudistettiin | uudistettaisiin | would be renewed |
| vähentää | vähennettiin | vähennettäisiin | would be reduced |
Here is a common verb used in urban planning to get started:
Now, let's see the conditional passive in action to propose general changes to a city:
Active vs. Passive Conditional
When pitching infrastructure plans, you will often use a mix of active and passive forms. Use the passive conditional to describe the actions taken by planners, and the active conditional (ending in -isi) to describe the effect the new infrastructure itself would have.
Let's look at a new piece of infrastructure as an example:
Notice the difference below between the passive action (uudistettaisiin = would be renewed by someone) and the active consequence (vähentäisi = the path itself would reduce the traffic):
By combining these active and passive conditional structures, you can map out clear, comprehensive plans for your city: