keräämään

Keräämään is the third infinitive form of the Finnish verb kerätä, meaning to go to gather or to collect. It is used to express purpose or intention and typically appears in constructions with verbs of motion or other verbs that require an infinitive complement. For example, in the sentence Mennen keräämään marjoja, the speaker intends to go and collect berries.

Formation and usage

The third infinitive is formed by adding the suffix -mään to the verb stem: kerää + mään becomes keräämään. This form is not used as the main finite verb; instead it functions to indicate purpose, intention, or a planned action. It commonly follows verbs like mennä (to go), tulla (to come), aikoa (to intend), or other verbs that introduce an objective activity.

Examples

- Menen keräämään marjoja metsään. (I’m going to gather berries in the forest.)

- Aion lähteä keräämään sieniä tänään. (I plan to go collect mushrooms today.)

- Hän tuli auttamaan ja keräämään lehtiä. (He came to help gather leaves.)

Relation to other forms

Keräämään contrasts with the basic infinitive keräädä or kerätä, which can function as the direct object of an imperative or a clause by itself. The 3rd infinitive is a specialized form primarily used to express the purpose or intended action connected to another verb.

See also

Finnish verb forms, kerätä, poimia, koota.