Emmekö

Emmekö is a Finnish grammatical form used to form a negative yes–no question with the first person plural. It combines the negation marker emme (we do not) with the question particle ko/kö, producing a single word that marks both negation and a proposal or request for confirmation. In practice, emmekö is used to invite agreement or suggest an action in a inclusive, soft way, often at the beginning of a sentence.

Formation and usage

Emmekö appears at the start of a sentence and is followed by the finite verb in its appropriate form. The construction can express a mild invitation or a rhetorical check of the group's course of action. Because emme is a negative element, the overall sense can be understood as “shall we not …” or, in many contexts, as a neutral or even positive invitation like “shall we …?” depending on context and tone. It is more common in formal or careful speech and literature; in everyday speech, speakers often use more direct or affirmative constructions such as mennäänkö or lähdetäänkö for invitations or proposals.

Examples

- Emmekö ole valmiita? — Aren’t we ready yet?

- Emmekö mene kahville? — Shall we not go for coffee? / Shall we go for coffee?

Notes

- The form reflects Finnish verbal negation combined with a question particle, and is specific to the first-person plural. Other persons have their own corresponding negative-question forms (for example, etkö, ettekö, eikö in different contexts), but emmekö is the set phrase used for “we” in a proposing or confirming sense.

- The usage emphasizes inclusivity and mutual decision, aligning with Finnish communicative norms that favor softening requests and proposals in polite interaction.