Finnish verb types explained: all six with examples
How to recognise each of the six verb types and conjugate it in the present tense.
Key takeaways
- Finnish has six verb types, recognised from the ending of the basic form.
- Types 1 and 3 are the most common; type 6 is rare.
- The type tells you how to form the stem and the personal forms.
- Learn two or three model verbs per type and use them in sentences.
What are verb types?
Finnish verbs are divided into six types according to the ending of their basic form (the infinitive). Once you know the type, you know how to form the stem and conjugate the verb. That is why learning the types early saves a lot of memorising.
The six types at a glance
| Type | Basic form ends in | Example | Minä (I) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | two vowels (-a/-ä) | puhua (speak) | puhun |
| 2 | -da/-dä | syödä (eat) | syön |
| 3 | -la, -na, -ra, -sta | tulla (come) | tulen |
| 4 | vowel + -ta/-tä | haluta (want) | haluan |
| 5 | -ita/-itä | tarvita (need) | tarvitsen |
| 6 | -eta/-etä | vanheta (grow old) | vanhenen |
Type 1: puhua
Remove the final -a/-ä and add the personal endings: puhun, puhut, puhuu, puhumme, puhutte, puhuvat. Watch consonant gradation: ottaa → otan, lukea → luen.
Type 2: syödä
Remove -da/-dä: syön, syöt, syö, syömme, syötte, syövät. Other common type 2 verbs are juoda (drink), saada (get) and tehdä (do), which is slightly irregular: teen.
Type 3: tulla, mennä, nousta
Remove the last two letters and add -e-: tulla → tulen, mennä → menen, nousta → nousen. The third person uses a long vowel: hän tulee.
Types 4, 5 and 6
- Type 4: remove -ta, add -a-: haluta → haluan; pelata → pelaan.
- Type 5: remove -ta, add -tse-: tarvita → tarvitsen; valita → valitsen.
- Type 6: remove -ta, add -ne-: vanheta → vanhenen. This type is rare.
How to learn them
Learn two or three model verbs per type and use them in short sentences about your day. In SimuCoach, the grammar guide explains each type in your own language and the drills bring back the verbs you conjugate wrong.
Questions and answers
Which Finnish verb type is the most common?
Type 1, with verbs such as puhua, asua and ostaa, is the largest and most frequent group. Many new loan verbs belong to type 4, such as googlata.
Is “olla” a regular verb?
No. Olla (to be) is irregular: olen, olet, on, olemme, olette, ovat. Learn it separately at the very start.
Written and fact-checked by the SimuCoach team at Simulingo.
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