Verb forms are built up like nominals by adding endings to stems. Verbs
differ from nominals in that they do not have an independent basic form as
such to which inflectional endings could be attached, as is the case with
nominals: cf. the basic form auto ‘car’ and the inflected forms auto/n, auto/
ssa, auto/i/hin.
The dictionary form of Finnish verbs, i.e. the shorter form of the first
infinitive, already has an ending, e.g. osta/a ‘(to) buy’, vastat/a ‘(to)
answer’, juo/da ‘(to) drink’. Before other verb forms can be made one must
first take off the infinitive ending from the stem, to which other endings are
then added, cf. osta/a ‘(to) buy’ : osta/isi/n ‘I would buy’, osta/nut ‘bought’.
Some verbs have more than one stem, in which case one is formed from
the other, e.g. vastat/a ‘(to) answer’ : vastaa/n ‘I answer’ and tul/la ‘(to)
come’ : tule/n ‘I come’. Consonant gradation (§15) and vowel changes
before -i- (§16) affect verbs in much the same way as nominals, e.g. anta/a
‘(to) give’ : anna/n ’I give‘ (consonant gradation) : anno/i/n ’I gave‘ (vowel
change, and also consonant gradation).
The stems needed for the conjugation of verbs are the infinitive stem,
which is arrived at after the infinitive endings are detached according to the
rules given in §22, and the inflectional stem, which can be formed from the
infinitive stem and to which e.g. the personal endings are added (§23). The
rules for the formation of the inflectional stem are given in §23.
The following examples illustrate the use of the first infinitive (cf. also
§74).
Haluan juo/da olutta. I want to drink some beer.
Tahtoisitko syö/dä? Would you like to eat?
Yritän sano/a asiat selvästi. I try to say the things clearly.
Minun täytyy lähte/ä. I must leave.
Saako täällä laula/a? Can one sing here?
56 Finnish: An Essential Grammar
Nyt sinun pitää lopetta/a. Now you must stop.
Tässä on mukava istu/a. It is nice to sit here.
Olisi kiva men/nä ulos. It would be nice to go out.
