The Imperative in Finnish

Commands and prohibitions = the imperative.

Istu alas, rentoudu ja lue, mitä kirjoitan.  Älä hermostu, sinä opit kyllä! 

There are different endings for imperatives for one person (sinä) and for more than one person (te). Both forms also have negative forms. So altogether, there are four imperative forms in Finnish: singular commands, singular prohibitions, plural commands, and plural prohibitions. Let’s go through all the forms.⬇️

1. The Command for Sinä 

Singular command is the same as the inflected form for sinä, but without the last letter – t.

Sinä kävelet > Kävele!

Sinä keskustelet > Keskustele!

Sinä puet > Pue!

Sinä suunnittelet > Suunnittele!

If there are any K,P,T changes in the conjugated sinä-form, the same change occurs in the command. Luet is a statement, so the command is lue! Look at the words: luet and lue. You can see, that even though the main form (lukea) has a k, the imperative does not have a K.

The imperative form is actually the same form of a verb as the one used in negative sentences (sinä et juttele, sinä et suunnittele, sinä et lue). However, there is a different tone. At the end of a normal statement, the final letter is weak, but in a command, the final letter is pronounced strongly. There actually is a real sound after the final letter. That sound is called “glottal stop.” You use a glottal stop, when you say uh-oh. ON the lesson I mentioned the very British wa’er, but maybe oh-oh is a better example.  Anyway, the silence is actually a sound… or is it a lack of sound? There is no letter for the sound, though. The “silent sound” is called ”glottal stop.” A glottal stop appears at the end of any imperative in Finnish. You can read more about glottal stops here.

2. Forbidding Sinä

The prohibition for one person always starts with the word ÄLÄ. First you say älä, and then the verb in the same form as it would be in a command: 

Älä lue*! (Don’t read) *Note the glottal stop in the end of the verb

Älä istu*! (Don’t sit) *Note the glottal stop in the end of the verb

Älä suunnittele*!  (Don’t plan)*Note the glottal stop in the end of the verb

Älä riitele*!  (Don’t argue) *Note the glottal stop in the end of the verb

Practice to pronounce älä (tongue lazy, the tip of the tongue flat, resting on your lower teeth touching your lower lip little out 😛).

If somebody is, for example, just about to drink poison, you might yell ÄLÄ, ÄLÄ! ÄLÄ!

• To be alive is ”Elää”, so the command *Be alive* is *Elä!*
  • But *don’t be alive* is *Älä elä!* 🤪 
    • Yet, I wonder if you’ll ever get to use this…  maybe to a zombie. 😁

3. The Command for Te

The plural command is a a command used to give an order or instruction to many people. It can also be used as a very polite form for one person.

The plural command is not made of inflected te-form. It is based in the infinitive. So, if there are k, p, t changes in the word, you need the same stem as in the infinitive, not like in the sinä-form. Remove the endings in verbtypes 1-3 of the infinitive (a or ä, da or dä, na/ra/la/ta or nä/rä/lä/tä) In verbtypes 4- 6 remove  the last a or ä, but leave the T. Then add the command: KAA!

• kuunnella (to listen) > remove la, add kaa > Kuunnelkaa!
• nousta (to rise) > remove ta, add kaa> Nouskaa! 
• mennä (to go) > remove na, add kää> Menkää! 
• Ladata (to charge) > Ladatkaa puhelimet!
• Riidella (to argue) > Riidelkää kotona!
• Auttaa (to help) > Auttakaa minua!

4. Forbidding More Than One

 To prohibit in plural, you need both a word to say “don’t” and an ending in the verb:  First you need the word:  ÄLKÄÄ, then the stem of the infinitive again and an ending. Remove the endings in verbtypes 1-3 of the infinitive (a or ä, da or dä, na/ra/la/ta or nä/rä/lä/tä) In verbtypes 4- 6 remove  the last a or ä, but leave the T. Then add ko or kö.

Yes, the ending looks like a question, but is not added in the verb after a personal ending like a question would be. And – in prohibition for many people there is always the word Älkää. 

If the verb has A, O or U, the ending is -ko

(juosta) : Älkää juosko!

If the verb does not have a, o nor u > the ending is -kö

(mennä): Älkää menkö!

Here are some examples in all the 4 forms: 

Boil!        Keitä!         Älä keitä!       Keittäkää!     Älkää keittäkö!

Repair!    Korjaa!      Älä korjaa!      Korjatkaa!     Älkää korjatko!

Wipe! Erase!  Pyyhi!  Älä pyyhi!        Pyyhkikää!   Älkää pyyhkikö!

Sell!  Myy!  Älä myy!        Myykää!      Älkää myykö!