Päästke

Päästke is a Finnish verb form originating from the verb päästää, meaning to release, let go, or permit. In linguistic terms, päästke is the imperative mood form used with a second-person plural subject. In modern standard Finnish, this particular form is regarded as archaic or dialectal; contemporary written and spoken Finnish typically uses the corresponding plural imperative forms such as päästäkää.

Historical and stylistic notes

Päästke appears primarily in older texts, ceremonial or formal language, and some regional dialects. Its continued presence is largely confined to literature that aims to imitate older Finnish or to certain religious or historical translations. For everyday use, speakers would generally choose the more common plural imperatives, or rephrase the command in a contemporary form.

Relationship to other forms

The verb päästää belongs to a class of Finnish verbs with multiple permissible imperatives in different registers. The singular imperative is päästä, while the plural imperative is commonly expressed as päästäkää in modern Finnish. Päästke thus stands as an archaic or stylistically marked variant rather than a standard contemporary form.

Etymology

The form derives from the root pääst-, attached to an older imperative suffix. Its appearance reflects historical inflection patterns in Finnish that have since evolved in everyday language.

See also

Päästää, päästö, imperative mood in Finnish, Finnish language reform, dialectal Finnish.