käskymuotoinen

Käskymuotoinen is a Finnish grammatical mood, commonly translated as the imperative mood. It is used to express commands, requests, or prohibitions. The imperative mood is distinct from other moods like the indicative or conditional, as it directly addresses the listener or a group with an instruction.

In Finnish, the imperative mood is typically formed by using the verb stem. For example, the infinitive "tulla" (to come) has the stem "tul-". The imperative form for "you" (singular) is "tule" (come!). For "we," it is "tulkaamme" (let's come). For "you" (plural), it is "tulkaa" (come!). The third person imperative, often translated as "let him/her/them," is formed using "olkoon" (let it be) or by combining the third-person singular form of the verb with "koon," such as "lukekoon" (let him/her read).

Prohibitions are typically expressed using the verb "ei" (not) in the third-person singular form "älä" for the singular "you" and "ää" for the plural "you," followed by the verb in its infinitive form. For instance, "älä tule" means "do not come." The "älä" form is used for the second person singular and plural, while the third person prohibitive uses "älköön."

The käskymuotoinen mood is fundamental in Finnish for conveying direct instructions and is a common feature in everyday language, instructions, and polite requests.