Use the passive perfect potential to speculate about actions completed by an unknown group of people in the past. It translates to was probably done or has likely been done, making it perfect for history and archaeology.
Forming the Passive Perfect Potential
This construction consists of two unchanging parts:
- The auxiliary verb lienee ("is probably" or "may be")
- The passive past participle of the main verb (ending in -tu or -ty, such as rakennettu or löydetty)
To say a monument was probably built from boulders:
| The monument was probably built from these boulders. | Monumentti lienee rakennettu näistä lohkareista. |
Similarly, to speculate about how materials were moved to a platform:
| The boulder was likely rolled onto a wooden platform. | Lohkare lienee vieritetty puiselle alustalle. |
Plurals in the Passive Voice
In English, auxiliary verbs change for plural subjects (the boulder was rolled vs. the slaves were left). In Finnish, the passive voice never changes for a plural subject. Both lienee and the participle stay exactly the same, even if multiple things or people were acted upon.
| The slaves were probably left here. | Orjat lienee jätetty tänne. |
| All the monuments were probably designed well. | Kaikki monumentit lienee suunniteltu hyvin. |
Unearthing the Past
The passive potential keeps the focus firmly on the artifacts and what was likely done to them, rather than who did it.
| The large column was likely erected in the square. | Suuri pylväs lienee pystytetty aukiolle. |
| The copper statue may have been rolled into the ruler's tomb. | Kuparinen patsas lienee vieritetty hallitsijan hautaan. |