1. infinitiivi: pitkä muoto <> The 1st Infinitiv: long form
Also known as 1. Infinitiivi: translatiivi muoto, this form of a verb answers the question word "why?" or more specifically "in order to do what?".
For example: Minä opiskelen suomea saadakseni työpaikan Suomesta. ---> I'm studying Finnish in order to get a job in Finland.
Hän Käy kuntosalilla joka päivä laihduttaakseen. ---> He goes to the gym every day in order to lose weight.
Sinun täytyy lakata käymästä baarissa säästäksesi rahaa. ---> You have to stop going to the pub in order to save money.
I'm sure you've already figured out how to form the long form of the 1st infinitive by reading the examples above, but I'll lay it out step by step anyway:
1. We use the verb's basic form (the 1st infinitive).
2. We add -kse- to the end.
3. We add the relative possessive suffix depending on the pronoun.
I'm sure you've got it but we'll look at some examples anyway:
Kertoa ---> Kertoakse- ---> Kertoakseni, Kertoaksesi, Kertoakseen, Kertoaksemme, Kertoaksenne
Syödä ---> Syödäkse- ---> Syödäkseni, Syödäksesi, Syödäkseen, Syödäksemme, Syödäksenne
Harjoitella ---> Harjoitellakse- ---> Harjoitellakseni, Harjoitellaksesi, Harjoitellakseen, Harjoitellaksemme, Harjoitellaksenne
Pelata ---> Pelatakse- ---> Pelatakseni, Pelataksesi, Pelatakseen, Pelataksemme, Pelataksenne
And that's it. No KPT, no different rules for different verb-types. It's so easy.
Phrases
There are some very common phrases in the Finnish language that are in the form of the 1st infinitive. Luckily, we use the same phrases in English so they are easy to translate, for example:
Muistaakseni ---> As far as I remember / If I remember correctly
Tietääkseni ---> As far as I know / If I know correctly
Ymmärtääkseni ---> As far as I understand / If I understand correctly
Nähdäkseni ---> As far as I can see (Not in the literal sense, it just means the same as ymmärtääkseni)
Liian / Too
This form is also used when you want to say that someone or something is too (something) in order to (do something).
For example:
Olet liian nuori juodaksesi alkoholia! ---> You're too young to drink alcohol!
Olen liian laiska liikkuakseni. ---> I'm too lazy to move.
Hän on liian sairas mennäkseen kouluun. ---> She's too sick to go to school.
Olemme liian köyhiä pitääksemme lomaa. ---> We're too poor to have a holiday.
Olette liian nuoria rakastuaksenne. ---> You're too young to fall in love.
One thing before we're done...
Students of Finnish sometimes find it hard to tell the difference between this form and the 3rd infinitive -maan/mään form.
For example: A) Menen kouluun opiskelemaan suomea. ---> I'm going to school to study Finnish.
B) Menen kouluun opiskellakseni suomea. ---> I'm going to school to study Finnish.
There is a difference. Sentence A is telling us what I will do when I get to school. Whereas sentence B is telling us the reason that I am going to school.
This is why you should think of the second sentence as "I'm going to school IN ORDER TO study Finnish." It avoids confusion.
And remember, the -maan/mään form can only be used after certain verbs. The long form of the 1st infinitive can be use in conjunction with ANY verb.
For example: Minä opiskelen suomea saadakseni työpaikan Suomesta. ---> I'm studying Finnish in order to get a job in Finland.
Hän Käy kuntosalilla joka päivä laihduttaakseen. ---> He goes to the gym every day in order to lose weight.
Sinun täytyy lakata käymästä baarissa säästäksesi rahaa. ---> You have to stop going to the pub in order to save money.
I'm sure you've already figured out how to form the long form of the 1st infinitive by reading the examples above, but I'll lay it out step by step anyway:
1. We use the verb's basic form (the 1st infinitive).
2. We add -kse- to the end.
3. We add the relative possessive suffix depending on the pronoun.
I'm sure you've got it but we'll look at some examples anyway:
Kertoa ---> Kertoakse- ---> Kertoakseni, Kertoaksesi, Kertoakseen, Kertoaksemme, Kertoaksenne
Syödä ---> Syödäkse- ---> Syödäkseni, Syödäksesi, Syödäkseen, Syödäksemme, Syödäksenne
Harjoitella ---> Harjoitellakse- ---> Harjoitellakseni, Harjoitellaksesi, Harjoitellakseen, Harjoitellaksemme, Harjoitellaksenne
Pelata ---> Pelatakse- ---> Pelatakseni, Pelataksesi, Pelatakseen, Pelataksemme, Pelataksenne
And that's it. No KPT, no different rules for different verb-types. It's so easy.
Phrases
There are some very common phrases in the Finnish language that are in the form of the 1st infinitive. Luckily, we use the same phrases in English so they are easy to translate, for example:
Muistaakseni ---> As far as I remember / If I remember correctly
Tietääkseni ---> As far as I know / If I know correctly
Ymmärtääkseni ---> As far as I understand / If I understand correctly
Nähdäkseni ---> As far as I can see (Not in the literal sense, it just means the same as ymmärtääkseni)
Liian / Too
This form is also used when you want to say that someone or something is too (something) in order to (do something).
For example:
Olet liian nuori juodaksesi alkoholia! ---> You're too young to drink alcohol!
Olen liian laiska liikkuakseni. ---> I'm too lazy to move.
Hän on liian sairas mennäkseen kouluun. ---> She's too sick to go to school.
Olemme liian köyhiä pitääksemme lomaa. ---> We're too poor to have a holiday.
Olette liian nuoria rakastuaksenne. ---> You're too young to fall in love.
One thing before we're done...
Students of Finnish sometimes find it hard to tell the difference between this form and the 3rd infinitive -maan/mään form.
For example: A) Menen kouluun opiskelemaan suomea. ---> I'm going to school to study Finnish.
B) Menen kouluun opiskellakseni suomea. ---> I'm going to school to study Finnish.
There is a difference. Sentence A is telling us what I will do when I get to school. Whereas sentence B is telling us the reason that I am going to school.
This is why you should think of the second sentence as "I'm going to school IN ORDER TO study Finnish." It avoids confusion.
And remember, the -maan/mään form can only be used after certain verbs. The long form of the 1st infinitive can be use in conjunction with ANY verb.
