The Past Tense of olla (Affirmative)
To talk about where you were or how things were in the past, use the past tense (imperfect) of the verb olla (to be).
| Person | Present Tense | Past Tense |
|---|---|---|
| minä | olen | olin |
| sinä | olet | olit |
| hän / se | on | oli |
| me | olemme | olimme |
| te | olette | olitte |
| he / ne | ovat | olivat |
| I was at the cottage yesterday. | Minä olin eilen mökillä. |
| Were you at home yesterday? | Olitko sinä eilen kotona? |
| The teacher was absent today. | Opettaja oli tänään poissa. |
The Negative Past Tense
To say someone or something "was not," Finnish uses a two-part structure, much like the present tense negative. You need the negative verb (en, et, ei, emme, ette, eivät) followed by the past participle of olla.
The past participle changes depending on whether the subject is singular or plural:
- For singular subjects (minä, sinä, hän, se): use ollut.
- For plural subjects (me, te, he, ne): use olleet.
| Person | Negative Past Tense |
|---|---|
| minä | en ollut |
| sinä | et ollut |
| hän / se | ei ollut |
| me | emme olleet |
| te | ette olleet |
| he / ne | eivät olleet |
| He was not in the office, because he was abroad. | Hän ei ollut toimistossa, koska hän oli ulkomailla. |
| We were not abroad. We were here. | Me emme olleet ulkomailla. Me olimme täällä. |
Describing States and Places
Combine these past tense forms with adjectives and adverbs to describe places, weather, or events.
| The store was not open yesterday. | Kauppa ei ollut eilen auki. |
| The bank was closed, but the pharmacy was open. | Pankki oli kiinni, mutta apteekki oli auki. |
| The weather was terrible, and we were inside. | Sää oli kamala, ja me olimme sisällä. |
| This meeting was very important. | Tämä kokous oli hyvin tärkeä. |
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