Minenpääte

Minenpääte is the Finnish term for the suffix -minen, a productive noun-forming ending used to derive action nouns (gerunds) from verbs. It signals the act, process, or result of the verb, and it is one of the most common ways to turn a verb into a noun in Finnish.

Formation and phonology: The -minen suffix is attached to the verb stem, typically after removing the infinitive ending -a or -ä. In many cases this yields straightforward forms, but pronunciation can involve consonant changes or gemination, especially with stems like kirjoittaa, which becomes kirjoittaminen. Some verbs produce forms with different phonological adjustments, such as epäonnistua yielding epäonnistuminen. The suffix is versatile and generally productive across many verb classes, though not every verb yields a familiar or common -minen noun.

Examples: tekeminen (the act of doing) from tehdä; kirjoittaminen (the act of writing) from kirjoittaa; näkeminen (the act of seeing) from nähdä; syöminen (the act of eating) from syödä; oppiminen (the act of learning) from oppia; epäonnistuminen (the act of failing) from epäonnistua. These nouns can denote an act, a process, or a resulting state and are used in a wide range of contexts.

Usage: -minen-nouns function as ordinary Finnish nouns and can serve as subjects or objects in clauses, and they inflect for case and number (e.g., tekeminen, tekemisen, tekemistä, tekemisessä). They also form the basis of many technical terms and everyday expressions. While highly productive, some verbs yield less common or awkward -minen forms, and learners may encounter irregularities or preference for other nominalizers in specific words.