Kohtelisi

Kohtelisi is a Finnish verb form that marks the conditional mood of the verb meaning “to treat” or “to behave toward someone.” It is used to describe hypothetical or contingent action, typically in subordinate clauses or in polite requests.

Morphology and usage notes:

- Kohtelisi is the third-person singular conditional form. The corresponding forms for other persons are kohtelisin (I would treat), kohtelisit (you would treat), kohtelisimme (we would treat), kohtelisitte (you would treat), and kohtelisivat (they would treat).

- The conditional mood is commonly used in hypothetical statements introduced by if-clause constructions with jos (if) or in contexts that express polite or tentative statements.

Examples:

- Jos hän kohtelisi minua paremmin, uskaltaisin puhua. (If he treated me better, I would dare to speak.)

- Hän kohtelisi vieraita ystävällisesti. (He would treat guests kindly.)

Related terms:

- The noun kohtelu refers to treatment or handling in a social sense.

- The related concept kohteliaisuus denotes politeness or courteous conduct, sharing a linguistic root that reflects social behavior and treatment.

In summary, kohtelisi functions as a key grammatical form for expressing hypothetical or conditional treatment in Finnish, and it links to broader concepts of social behavior through its root.