Tiivistämme vanhan ikkunan.

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Breakdown of Tiivistämme vanhan ikkunan.

• ikkuna: the window
• tiivistää: to seal; make airtight

Questions & Answers about Tiivistämme vanhan ikkunan.

What is the dictionary form of tiivistämme, and how is it built?

The dictionary form is tiivistää.

Tiivistämme = tiivistä- + -mme

• tiivistä- = the verb stem
• -mme = we

So tiivistämme is the 1st person plural present tense form: we seal / we weatherstrip / we make tight.

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What does the ending -mme mean?

The ending -mme marks the subject we.

So Finnish often does not need a separate word for we:

• Tiivistämme vanhan ikkunan. = We seal the old window.
• Me tiivistämme vanhan ikkunan. = also We seal the old window, but me is now stated explicitly.

The pronoun me is often left out because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action.

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Why is there no separate word for we in the sentence?

Because Finnish verbs usually already show the subject.

In English, you must say we seal.
In Finnish, tiivistämme already contains we.

If you add me, it usually gives extra emphasis, contrast, or clarity:

• Me tiivistämme vanhan ikkunan, he korjaavat oven.
  We seal the old window, they repair the door.

Without that kind of contrast, leaving me out is completely normal.

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