When reading the news or discussing future predictions, you might want to express that something is likely to happen but is not completely certain. Finnish expresses "probably" or "likely to" directly within the verb using the potential mood (potentiaali).
You will frequently see the potential mood used when discussing society and the economy.
The Potential Mood Marker: -ne-
To form the potential mood, the marker -ne- is typically added to the verb's strong stem. In the third-person singular (he/she/it), the final vowel is lengthened, making the ending -nee.
Consonant Assimilation
If a verb has a consonant stem ending in s, l, or r (like many Type 3 verbs), the n in the -ne- marker assimilates to match that consonant.
For example, the consonant stem of nousta (to rise) is nous-. Adding -ne- results in assimilation to -sse-, making the form noussee.
Similarly, verbs like tulla (stem: tul-) assimilate to -llee. For Type 4 verbs like korvata, the stem's final t assimilates with the n to form -nne- (korvannee).
Plurals and the Irregular Verb "olla"
The verb olla (to be) is completely irregular in the potential mood. Its potential form is built on the special stem liene- (e.g., lienee for "is probably").
When making predictions about plural subjects ("they"), simply add the standard third-person plural ending -vat or -vät to the potential stem.