Sulkeilimme

Sulkeilimme is a Finnish verb form used to express that a group performed a sealing or closing action in the past. It translates roughly to “we sealed” or “we closed” in English and is employed in narratives and reports to indicate a completed action by the speaker and others.

Grammatical function and formation: Sulkeilimme is the first-person plural imperfect (past tense) form of the verb related to closing or sealing. The base stem is sulke-, and the suffix -imme marks the 1st person plural past. In Finnish, the -imme ending is a common signal of a completed action by “we,” and sulkeilimme conforms to standard conjugation patterns for verbs that convey closing, sealing, or enclosing.

Context and usage: The form is primarily used when recounting actions that involve physically closing or sealing something, such as doors, containers, or spaces, as well as more abstract closures like halting processes or ending a phase. In formal or historical writing, sulkeilimme may appear to describe coordinated actions by a group in the past. It is distinct from other past forms such as suljin (I closed) or suljimme (we closed) in nuance and emphasis.

Related terms and variations: Related lexical items include the root sulke- (to close/seal) and the noun sulkeilu (the act of sealing/closing). The antonym is avata (to open). While sulkeilimme specifies a plural subject and past action, Finnish provides a range of forms to express tense, mood, and aspect across related verbs.

Examples (translations): We sealed the room, or we sealed off the area, can be rendered in Finnish with sulkeilimme, depending on the exact object and context.