Älä lopeta vielä.

Don't stop yet.

Breakdown of Älä lopeta vielä.

• älä: don't
• vielä: yet
• lopettaa: to stop

Questions & Answers about Älä lopeta vielä.

What exactly does Älä mean, and why isn’t it Ei?

• Älä is the 2nd person singular imperative form of the negative auxiliary verb ei. It’s used to say “don’t” to one person.
• Use ei for ordinary negation in statements (e.g., En lopeta = “I’m not stopping”), but use Älä to give a negative command to one person: Älä lopeta = “Don’t stop.”
• For other persons in the imperative, the negative auxiliary changes:
  • 2nd person plural/formal: Älkää
  • 1st person plural (“let’s not”): Älkäämme
  • 3rd person: Älköön (sing.), Älkööt (pl.; more formal/rare)

What form is lopeta, and why is it not lopetta?

• Lopeta is the 2nd person singular imperative of the verb lopettaa (“to stop/finish [something]”).
• Consonant gradation applies: the strong grade tt becomes weak t in this form, hence lopeta rather than lopetta.
• Fun fact: in the negative imperative, you still use this same verb form: Älä lopeta.

Why is there no sinä (“you”) in the sentence?

• Finnish normally drops subject pronouns when the verb form already shows the person. Älä already encodes “you (singular).”
• You can add sinä for emphasis: Älä sinä lopeta vielä (“Don’t you stop yet,” stressing the person).

Where can vielä go? Is Älä vielä lopeta also correct?

• Both are correct:
  • Älä lopeta vielä (neutral, common)
  • Älä vielä lopeta (puts a bit more focus on “not yet”)
• You might also hear Älä nyt vielä lopeta, where nyt softens the command (“not just yet”).

Does vielä mean “yet” or “still” here?

• In negative contexts, vielä means “yet” (“not yet”).
• Compare:
  • Älä lopeta vielä = “Don’t stop yet.”
  • Positive “still” uses edelleen or yhä more precisely, but vielä is also common: Hän on vielä töissä (“She is still at work”).
• Contrast with jo (“already”): Lopeta jo! = “Stop already!”

How do I say this to more than one person or to be polite/plural?

• Use the 2nd person plural negative imperative: Älkää lopettako vielä.
  • Affirmative to many people: Lopettakaa!
  • Negative to many: Älkää lopettako!
• You can soften it: Älkää nyt vielä lopettako, kiitos.

How can I make it more polite in general (to one person)?

• Add a softener or “please”:
  • Älä nyt vielä lopeta, kiitos.
  • Älä lopeta vielä, ole kiltti. (to someone you know)
• Use an indirect request:
  • Voisitko olla lopettamatta vielä? (“Could you refrain from stopping yet?”)

What’s the difference between lopettaa and loppua?

• Lopettaa is transitive: someone stops/ends something. In commands to a person, Lopeta! means “Stop (what you’re doing)!”
• Loppua is intransitive: something ends on its own.
  • Elokuva loppuu pian. (“The movie ends soon.”)
  • You wouldn’t command a person with loppua; use lopettaa for that.

What if I mean “Don’t stop moving yet” (not “don’t stop an activity”)?

• Use pysähtyä for physically stopping: Älä pysähdy vielä.
• Älä lopeta vielä is about ceasing an activity/task/effort rather than halting motion.

How can I specify what exactly shouldn’t be stopped?

• In negative clauses, objects are in the partitive. Examples:
  • Älä lopeta laulamista vielä. (“Don’t stop singing yet.”)
  • Älä lopeta työtä vielä. (“Don’t stop the work yet.”)
  • Älä lopeta sitä vielä. (“Don’t stop that yet.”)

Is an exclamation mark required?

• No. Älä lopeta vielä. is already imperative because of Älä and the verb form. The exclamation mark just adds extra force. Both with and without it are fine.

How do you pronounce the ä in Älä and vielä?

• ä is a front vowel, like the vowel in English “cat,” but a bit cleaner and tenser.
• Rough guide:
  • Älä ≈ [æ-læ]
  • vielä ≈ [ˈvi.e.læ] (three syllables: vie-lä; the stress is on the first syllable)

Is there a word meaning “anymore” I should know, and how does it differ from vielä?

• Enää is used in negative sentences to mean “anymore/no longer.”
  • En laula enää. (“I don’t sing anymore.”)
• Don’t mix it up with vielä (“yet/still”). Your sentence specifically needs vielä to express “not yet”: Älä lopeta vielä.

Are there forms for “let’s not stop yet” or “let him/her not stop yet”?

• “Let’s not stop yet”: Älkäämme lopettako vielä.
• “Let him/her not stop yet”: Älköön hän lopettako vielä. (formal/literary; rare in casual speech)