4. Past tense
In Finnish, the past tense is used when you speak about things that happened in the past: for example, yesterday, last week or in the year 1917.
EXAMPLES:
Tulin Suomeen vuonna 2001.
I came to Finland in 2001.
Asuin aluksi Helsingissä ja opiskelin suomea.
At first I lived in Helsinki and studied Finnish.
The past tense form of a verb is created with the sign i, which is added to the present tense form of the verb.
EXAMPLES:
Present tense
Nyt minä asun Oulussa.
Now I live in Oulu.
Past tense
Vuonna 2001 minä asuin Helsingissä.
In 2001 I lived in Helsinki.
Etsin töitä.
I was looking for a job.
Puhuin kaikille englantia.
I spoke English with everyone.
| Stem | Past tense sign | Personal ending |
| Asu | i | n |
The last vowel of the verb stem can change when the past tense sign i is added.
Often the vowel disappears:
EXAMPLES:
Present tense
pidän I like
tulen I come
saan I get
juon I drink
Past tense
pidin I liked
tulin I came
sain I got
join I drank
Or the vowel can change to another:
EXAMPLES:
maksan I pay
maksoin I paid
In verb type 4, the past tense sign is –si.
EXAMPLES:
haluan I want
siivoan I clean
halusin I wanted
siivosin I cleaned
Past tense consonant gradation is similar to that in the present tense, since the present tense form is used to create the past tense form.
EXAMPLES:
minä nukun I sleep
hän nukkuu he/she sleeps
minä nukuin I slept
hän nukkui he/she slept
In the negative form, the past tense sign is -(n)nut/(n)nyt in singular and -(n)neet in plural forms.
EXAMPLE:
Aluksi en puhunut suomea enkä ymmärtänyt, mitä ihmiset puhuivat.
At first I didn’t speak Finnish and couldn’t understand what people were saying.
EXAMPLES:
PUHU/A
YMMÄRTÄ/Ä
HALU/TA
JUO/DA
SIIVO/TA
NUKKU/A
Minä en puhunut. I didn’t speak.
Sinä et ymmärtänyt. You didn’t understand.
Hän ei halunnut. He/She didn’t want.
Me emme juoneet. We didn’t drink.
Te ette siivonneet. You didn’t clean.
He eivät nukkuneet. They didn’t sleep.