Verb type 6 (-eta/-etä)

Verb Type 6 and the -ne- stem

Verb Type 6 consists of verbs ending in -eta or -etä. These verbs usually describe a physical transformation or a change in state, size, or quality—such as cooling down, getting dark, or shrinking.

To form the present tense stem, drop the -ta or -tä from the infinitive and add -ne-. Type 6 verbs undergo consonant gradation in reverse: the infinitive is weak and the conjugated forms are strong (e.g., lämmetä becomes lämpenee).

Add the standard personal ending to this stem. For the third-person singular, this means doubling the final vowel (-nee).

For the present negative, simply use the negative verb (like ei) alongside the plain -ne- stem.

The past tense

To talk about changes that already happened, the -ne- stem changes to -ni-. For the third-person singular (hän / se), you do not double the final vowel; the word simply ends in -ni.

The past negative

As with other verbs, forming the past negative requires the negative verb (such as en, et, or ei) plus the past participle.

For Verb Type 6, build the singular past participle by dropping the -ta or -tä from the infinitive and adding -nnut or -nnyt (following vowel harmony rules). Notice that the past participle uses the weak consonant grade, just like the infinitive.