kysymään

Kysymään is the third infinitive form (kolmas infinitiivi) of the Finnish verb kysyä, meaning “to ask.” It is a non-finite verb form and cannot stand as the main verb in a clause by itself. Instead, kysymään is used together with another verb to indicate the action of asking, often expressing purpose or intention.

The form is created by attaching the suffix -mään to the verb stem, here kysy- plus -mään yields kysymään. Because it is a non-finite form, its role is to complement another verb, such as a verb of motion or intention, rather than to declare a standalone action.

Käyttö (usage) of kysymään is common in constructions that convey going to ask or intending to ask. It frequently appears after a finite verb in a sentence, for example with verbs of movement or intention: aion mennä kysymään (I intend to go and ask), or Käyn kysymään häneltä (I go to ask him). It can also occur in sentences like Hän lähetti minut kysymään (He sent me to ask).

Compared to the bare infinitive kysyä (to ask), kysymään emphasizes the act of asking in relation to another action, such as going somewhere or performing a related activity. It forms part of the broader Finnish system of infinitives used to express purpose, sequence, or indirect actions without changing the tense of the main verb.

Examples:

- Aion mennä kysymään neuvoa. (I intend to go and ask for advice.)

- Hän lähetti minut kysymään. (He sent me to ask.)

- Käyn kysymään häneltä, mikä tilanne on. (I will go and ask him what the situation is.)