Deriving Transitive Verbs with -ntaa / -ntää
In Finnish, you can easily turn an adjective into an active, transitive verb by attaching the suffix -ntaa or -ntää to the adjective's stem.
These derived verbs indicate the action of making something take on the quality of the adjective. They are always transitive, meaning the action is done directly to a target object.
For example, from the adjective vaalea (light), we derive the verb vaalentaa (to lighten). Vowel harmony dictates whether you use the back vowel version (-ntaa) or the front vowel version (-ntää).
Adding Contrast with "joskin"
You can express "although" or "even though" using the conjunction joskin. Like other conjunctions, it joins two clauses to add a reservation or contrast to the main point.
Let's look at it in action alongside the verb huonontaa (to worsen, derived from huono).
Stem Adjustments
When attaching -ntaa / -ntää, the adjective's final vowel sometimes changes (often to an e) or drops entirely to make the word easier to pronounce:
- syvä (deep) becomes syventää
- pehmeä (soft) becomes pehmentää
- ohut (thin) becomes ohentaa
- paksu (thick) becomes paksuntaa
These verbs are frequently used to describe how a style or choice affects a person's overall appearance or perceived age.
Using the adjectives nuori (young) and vanha (old), we derive the verbs nuorentaa (to make someone look younger) and vanhentaa (to age someone).