Verbs of Transition (-ntua / -ntyä)
In Finnish, you can often turn an adjective or noun into a verb meaning "to become [that thing]." These verbs describe a gradual change of state.
The most common suffixes are -ntua and -ntyä (following vowel harmony). Depending on the base word, variations like -tua or -oitua are also used.
For example, from the adjective huono (bad), we get huonontua (to worsen). From vakava (serious), we get vakavoitua (to become serious).
These derived verbs belong to Verb Type 1. To form the past tense, drop the final -a or -ä and add -i- (e.g., huonontuu becomes huonontui).
| to worsen (in quality) | huonontua |
| The patient's condition is worsening. | Potilaan tila huonontuu. |
| The patient's condition worsened, and the situation became serious. | Potilaan tila huonontui, ja tilanne vakavoitui. |
Worsening Conditions and Illness
These transition verbs are extremely useful in medical contexts to describe a changing state without needing a separate word for "become."
| The wound can become infected quickly. | Haava voi tulehtua nopeasti. |
| The wound got infected, so the patient has to stay in the hospital. | Haava tulehtui, joten potilaan täytyy jäädä sairaalaan. |
| My eyesight is weakening. | Minun näköni heikentyy. |
| A patient can get depressed if the pain continues for a long time. | Potilas voi masentua, jos kipu jatkuu kauan. |
Healing, Recovery, and Improvement
You can also describe positive gradual changes, such as recovering from an illness or rehabilitating after an injury.
For instance, the adjective terve (healthy) becomes tervehtyä (to get well), and kunto (condition) becomes kuntoutua (to rehabilitate).
| The patient's condition improves by sleeping. | Potilaan kunto kohentuu nukkumalla. |
| You will recover quickly by resting. | Tervehdyt nopeasti lepäämällä. |
| The patient rehabilitates after the accident. | Potilas kuntoutuu onnettomuuden jälkeen. |
| The driver was injured in the accident, but is rehabilitating well. | Kuljettaja vammautui onnettomuudessa, mutta kuntoutuu hyvin. |
