Verb Type 3 Basics
Verb Type 3 includes many common Finnish verbs related to movement and learning, such as mennä (to go), tulla (to come), and opiskella (to study). You can recognize these verbs because their infinitive forms end in two consonants followed by a vowel (for example, -lla, -nnä, or -sta).
To conjugate a Verb Type 3 verb in the present tense, find its stem by dropping the last two letters of the infinitive, then adding an -e-. Finally, attach the standard personal ending.
| Person | Pronoun | Ending | Example (tulla -> tul- + e) |
|---|
| 1st Singular | minä | -n | tulen |
| 2nd Singular | sinä | -t | tulet |
| 3rd Singular | hän / se | (doubles vowel) | tulee |
| 1st Plural | me | -mme | tulemme |
| 2nd Plural | te | -tte | tulette |
| 3rd Plural | he / ne | -vat / -vät | tulevat |
In the 3rd person singular, the final vowel of the stem is doubled (-e- becomes -ee).
Longer Verbs and Consonant Gradation
For verbs ending in -lla or -llä, the rule is exactly the same: drop the last two letters, add -e-, and attach the ending.
Some verbs in this group undergo consonant gradation where the consonants strengthen in the stem. For example, ajatella (to think) strengthens its single t to a double tt (ajattel- + e).
Negative Present Tense
To form the negative present tense, use the conjugated negative verb (en, et, ei, emme, ette, eivät) followed by the present stem (the form ending in -e without personal endings).
For example, the stem of mennä is mene, and the stem of nousta (to get up) is nouse.
