The passive perfect and pluperfect have the structure on (perfect) or oli
(pluperfect)+past participle passive (for the past participle active see §61).
The past participle passive can be formed most conveniently from the past
tense by the following rule:
The past participle passive is formed by changing the passive past -
iin to -u or -y.
Infinitive First p. sing. Passive past Passive past Meaning
participle
osta/a osta/n oste/ttiin oste/ttu bought
anta/a anna/n anne/ttiin anne/ttu given
nukku/a nuku/n nuku/ttiin nuku/ttu slept
pyytä/ä pyydä/n pyyde/ttiin pyyde/tty requested
huomat/a huomaa/n huomat/tiin huomat/tu noticed
178 Finnish: An Essential Grammar
Infinitive First p. sing. Passive past Passive past Meaning
participle
määrät/ä määrää/n määrät/tiin määrät/ty ordered
pelät/ä pelkää/n pelät/tiin pelät/ty feared
saa/da saa/n saa/tiin saa/tu got
syö/dä syö/n syö/tiin syö/ty eaten
myy/dä myy/n myy/tiin myy/ty sold
nous/ta nouse/n nous/tiin nous/tu risen
ol/la ole/n ol/tiin ol/tu been
men/nä mene/n men/tiin men/ty gone
tarvit/a tarvitse/n tarvit/tiin tarvit/tu needed
The use of these forms is illustrated below.
On sano/ttu, että Suomi on tuhansien järvien maa.
It has been said that Finland is the land of a thousand lakes.
Ol/i sano/ttu, että…
It had been said that…
On väite/tty, ettei hän eroa koskaan.
It has been stated that he will never resign.
Tähän on tul/tu.
One has come to this.
Ol/i anne/ttu sellainen neuvo, että…
There had been given such advice that…
Kouluissa on lue/ttu saksaa jo pitkään.
German has long been studied in the schools.
Ol/i huomat/tu, että laiva uppoaa.
It had been noticed that the ship was sinking.
Ol/i jo syö/ty, kun vieraat tulivat.
One/we had already eaten when the guests came.
On esite/tty kolme ehdotusta.
Three suggestions have been put forward.
Tätä on pelät/ty monta vuotta.
This has been feared for many years.
On ol/tu myös sitä mieltä, että…
People have also been of the opinion that…
On/ko nyt men/ty liian pitkälle?
Has one/have we now gone too far?
The passive 179
Auto ol/i oste/ttu jo eilen.
The car had already been bought yesterday.
Autot ol/i oste/ttu…
The cars had been bought…
The form of the passive perfect negative is ei ole+the past participle
passive of the main verb; the corresponding pluperfect is ei ol/lut+the
same participle (cf. §63).
Affirmative Negative Meaning
on saa/tu ei ole saa/tu one has not got
ol/i saa/tu ei ol/lut saa/tu one had not got
on sano/ttu ei ole sano/ttu one has not said
ol/i sano/ttu ei ol/lut sano/ttu one had not said
on määrät/ty ei ole määrät/ty one has not ordered
ol/i määrät/ty ei ol/lut määrät/ty one had not ordered
on ol/tu ei ole ol/tu one has not been
ol/i ol/tu ei ol/lut ol/tu one had not been
Special attention should be given to the past tense passive negative, which
consists of the negation verb ei followed by the past participle passive (cf.
§70).
Affirmative Negative Meaning
sano/ttiin ei sano/ttu one did not say
oste/ttiin ei oste/ttu one did not buy
kysy/ttiin ei kysy/tty one did not ask
huomat/tiin ei huomat/tu one did not notice
osat/tiin ei osat/tu one did not know how
pelät/tiin ei pelät/ty one did not fear
saa/tiin ei saa/tu one did not get
syö/tiin ei syö/ty one did not eat
tul/tiin ei tul/tu one did not come
ol/tiin ei ol/tu one was not
men/tiin ei men/ty one did not go
tarvit/tiin ei tarvit/tu one did not need
The use of the passive negative is further illustrated below.
Tätä ei ole tarvit/tu ennenkään.
This has not been needed before, either.
Ei/kö ole oste/ttu ruokaa?
Has no food been bought?
Keneltäkään ei ky sy/tty neuvoa.
No one was asked for advice.
180 Finnish: An Essential Grammar
50 vuotta sitten Suomen kouluissa ei paljon opiskel/tu englantia.
50 years ago English was not much studied in Finnish schools.
Virtasta ei valit/tu puheenjohtajaksi.
Virtanen was not elected chairman.
Häntä ei ol/lut näh/ty kaupungilla.
He/she had not been seen in town.
Lakon aikana ei saa/tu sähköä.
During the strike we didn’t get any electricity.
Läksyä ei osat/tu hyvin.
The homework was not known well.
Paitaanne ei vielä ole pes/ty.
Your shirt has not yet been washed.
Seurauksia ei ol/lut ote/ttu huomioon.
The consequences had not been taken into consideration.
Ehdotusta ei ymmärre/tty.
The proposal was not understood.
Sotaa ei koskaan unohde/ttu.
The war was never forgotten.
