Finnish Verbs

Welcome to the 10th lesson about verbs in Finnish. We will first learn about the present tense, followed by the past tense, and future tense. We will also analyze some grammar rules, and finally practice how to ask for direction in Finnish.

Verbs are used to express an action (I swim) or a state of being (I am). The present tense in Finnish conveys a situation or event in the present time. Here are some examples:

Present Tense - Finnish
I speak English puhun englantia
you speak French puhut ranskaa
he speaks German hän puhuu saksaa
she speaks Italian hän puhuu italiaa
we speak Arabic puhumme arabiaa
they speak Chinese he puhuvat kiinaa

The past tense in Finnish conveys a situation or event in the past time. Here are some examples:

Past Tense - Finnish
I visited France kävin ranskassa
you visited Italy kävit italiassa
he visited Morocco hän vieraili marokossa
she visited China hän vieraili kiinassa
we visited Mexico kävimme meksikossa
they visited Kenya he vierailivat keniassa

The future tense in Finnish conveys a situation or event which is anticipated to happen in the future. Here are some examples:

Future Tense - Finnish
I will drink milk juon maitoa
you will drink coffee juot kahvia
he will drink tea hän juo teetä
she will drink water hän juo vettä
we will drink apple juice juomme omenamehua
they will drink tea he juovat teetä

Now let's take a break and refresh our vocabulary by learning the body parts.

ear korva

eye silmä

mouth suu

nose nenä

hair tukka

face kasvot

head pää

heart sydän

hand käsi

fingers sormet

leg jalka

feet jalat

Travel Phrases in Finnish

Imagine yourself in some Finnish speaking country. The following travel phrases are highly important and can help you avoid misunderstanding. Try to memorize them and practice!

English - Finnish
Can you help me? voitteko auttaa minua?
Can I help you? voinko auttaa?
Where is the airport? missä on lentokenttä?
Go straight mene suoraan
Then sitten
Turn left käänny vasemmalle
Turn right käänny oikealle

I hope this lesson about the verbs in Finnish was not hard for you. Please check out our main menu here for more lessons: homepage. To see the full menu, you can also click on the "Menu" icon on the left side.