enkä

Enkä is a Finnish coordinating conjunction used to connect two negative clauses or phrases, equivalent to “and not” or “nor” in English. It is a contracted form of en (the first-person singular negation) and kä, a clitic that attaches to the preceding word to link clauses. The construction is most common when the same subject applies to both parts of the sentence.

Formation and forms: The base form is en + kä, producing enkä after a negative clause. Other persons have their own equivalents that attach kä to the corresponding negation: etkä (and you), emmekä (and we), and här措施 likewise eikö? In practice, the second clause should also be negative and typically shares the same subject as the first clause, though forms like etkä and emmekä allow speakers to coordinate with different subjects when needed. A comma typically precedes the enkän form when connecting independent clauses.

Usage: Enkä is used to add a further negative assertion to a sentence. It appears frequently in both spoken and written Finnish, from everyday speech to formal writing. It cannot be used to connect a positive clause; in those cases different conjunctions such as ja or sekä are used. In multi-clause sequences, Finnish often employs enkäs, etkä, emmekä, or eikä depending on the subject of the second clause.

Examples:

- En pidä kahvista, enkä teestä. (I do not like coffee, nor tea.)

- Hän ei halua kahvia, eikä teetä. (He/She does not want coffee, nor tea.)

- Me emme ole valmiita, emmekä tiedä mitä teemme. (We are not ready, and we do not know what we will do.)