Partisiippeista

Partisiippeista refers to the Finnish concept of participles, or partisiipit, and to the forms that can be derived from verbs to function like adjectives or adverbs. In Finnish grammar, a partisiippi is a non-finite verb form, meaning it does not express a specific tense by itself but rather describes a state or action related to a noun. The elative plural form partisiippeista can appear in grammars and examples when discussing multiple participles or the idea “from participles.”

Finnish participles come in several main types. The present active participle, formed with the endings -va or -vä, describes ongoing action and can modify a noun, as in kirja, kirjoittava opiskelija (“a student who is writing” or “the writing student”). The past (or perfect) participle, often used as a passive form, uses endings such as -ttu, -tty, -nyt, or -nut, and yields expressions like luettu kirja (“a book that has been read”). Participles can function attributively, agreeing with the noun in number and case, and they also appear in more compact relative clauses.

Participles are commonly used to form adjectival phrases, to indicate time, cause, or manner, and they contribute to the conciseness of Finnish prose. They also participate in the standard perfect and pluperfect constructions when combined with the auxiliary olla (olla + past participle), as in olen lukenut (“I have read”). While present participles emphasize ongoing action, past participles emphasize completed action.

For further study, see Finnish grammar resources on partisiippi, the present active participle, and the various past participles used in Finnish.