One of the more confusing aspects of Finnish grammar are the Finnish verb types.

You might look at a dictionary form of a verb (the infinitive), try to use it in a sentence, and realize it looks completely different when you actually speak it.

Why do Finnish verbs change so much?

In English, verbs are pretty lazy. “I speak, you speak, we speak.”

In Finnish, the verb changes to tell you who is doing the action.

To make this easier, Finnish groups all verbs into 6 specific categories or “types.”

Think of these types like sorting hats. Once you know which “house” or “type” a verb belongs to, you know exactly how to change it.

It’s actually very logical once you get the hang of it.

What are verb stems?

Before we look at the types, you need to understand one concept: The Stem.

The word you find in the dictionary is the basic form (infinitive). You cannot usually just stick an ending on that word. You have to find the “stem” first.

• Dictionary form: Puhua (To speak)
• Stem: Puhu-
• Conjugated: Minä puhun (I speak)

The Verb Types simply tell you how to find that stem.

Verb type 1

This is the most common group. If you pick a random verb in Finnish, there is a huge chance it’s Type 1.

How to spot it:

The verb ends in 2 vowels.

Common endings are: -aa, -ea, -eä, -ia, -iä, -oa, -ua, -yä, -ää, -öä.

The rule:

To find the stem, you simply remove the very last letter (always an -a or -ä). Then you add your personal ending (like -n for Minä).

• Puhua (to speak) → drop -a → puhu- → Minä puhun
• Asua (to live) → drop -a → asu- → Minä asun

Important Note: Type 1 verbs are very strong candidates for Consonant Gradation (KPT). This means if there are consonants like K, P, or T inside the word, they might soften or change.

• Nukkua (to sleep) → Minä nukun (The ‘kk’ changes to ‘k’)

Verb type 2

These verbs are quite friendly.

How to spot it:

The verb ends in -da or -dä.

The rule:

Remove the -da or -dä. That is your stem.

• Syödä (to eat) → drop -dä → syö- → Minä syön
• Juoda (to drink) → drop -da → juo- → Minä juon

Type 2 verbs generally do not have KPT changes (consonant gradation). What you see is usually what you get.

Verb type 3

This is a very popular group because it contains common verbs like “to come,” “to go,” and “to study.”

How to spot it:

The verb ends in two consonants + a vowel. Specifically: -la/-lä, -na/-nä, -ra/-rä, or -sta/-stä.

The rule:

Remove the last 2 letters. Then, usually, you add an -e before adding your personal ending.

• Tulla (to come) → drop -la → tul- → add -e → tule- → Minä tulen
• Opiskella (to study) → drop -la → opiskel- → add -e → opiskele- → Minä opiskelen
• Nousta (to rise/get up) → drop -ta → nous- → add -e → nouse- → Minä nousen

Verb type 4

This group often includes verbs about wanting or feelings.

How to spot it:

The verb ends in a Vowel + ta/tä.

The rule:

Remove the -ta or -tä. Then, you add an extra vowel that matches the vowel that is left. You’re doubling the vowel.

• Haluta (to want) → drop -ta → halu- → add -a → halua- → Minä haluan
• Siivota (to clean) → drop -ta → siivo- → add -a → siivoa- → Minä siivoan

Watch out for KPT changes here too!

• Tavata (to meet) → Minä tapaan (The ‘v’ changes back to a strong ‘p’).

Verb type 5

These verbs look a little bit like Type 4, but there is a distinct difference.

How to spot it:

The verb ends in -ita or -itä.

The rule:

Remove the -ta/-tä. Then, add -tse.

• Tarvita (to need) → drop -ta → tarvi- → add -tse → tarvitse- → Minä tarvitsen
• Valita (to choose) → drop -ta → vali- → add -tse → valitse- → Minä valitsen

Verb type 6

This is the rarest group. You won’t see these as often as Type 1, but they are still important. They often describe a change of state (like getting older, getting colder, etc.).

How to spot it:

The verb ends in -eta or -etä.

The rule:

Remove the -ta/-tä. Change the remaining e to -ene.

• Vanheta (to grow old) → drop -ta → vanhe- → change to vanhene- → Minä vanhenen
• Kuumeta (to get hot/have a fever) → drop -ta → kuume- → change to kuumene- → Minä kuumenen

Spoken Finnish variations

I always remind my readers that standard written Finnish (Kirjakieli) and spoken Finnish (Puhekieli) can be quite different.

When Finns speak quickly, they often shorten these verb forms.

Common Spoken Changes:

• Dropping the -n: In spoken Finnish, we often drop the final -n from the Minä form.
  • Mä puhu (instead of Minä puhun)
• Shortening Type 3: We often cut the ending of Type 3 verbs entirely.
  • Mä tuun (instead of Minä tulen)
  • Mä meen (instead of Minä menen)
• Type 4 Shortening:
  • Mä haluun (instead of Minä haluan)

It’s good to learn the “proper” rules above first. Once you know the rules, breaking them in spoken Finnish becomes much easier!

Summary table

Here is a quick cheat sheet to help you remember the 6 Finnish verb types.

Learning these types is the key to unlocking Finnish.

Once you can look at a word and say, “Ah, that is a Type 4,” you’ll know exactly how to use it.

Do you have any questions about these verb types?