lausemuoto

Lausemuoto is a term used in Finnish grammar to describe the form or function of a sentence, determined by what the speaker aims to express in the discourse. It concerns how the predicate is formed and how the sentence is structured to convey a statement, a question, or a command. Lausemuoto interacts with verb morphology, word order, intonation, and punctuation, and it helps classify sentences in school grammar and language analysis.

The main lausemuodot (sentence forms) are: väitelause, a declarative sentence that states a fact or opinion; kysymyslause, an interrogative sentence that asks a question and often ends with a question mark or uses a question word or clitic; and käskylause, an imperative sentence that gives a command or request. In addition, negation can modify the lausemuoto, for example by using ei in a väitelause or by forming a negated imperative with ei combined with the verb.

In Finnish, the form of the verb and the use of subject, negation, and question particles shape the lausemuoto. A väitelause typically uses standard word order (subject–verb–object) and may express tense through the verb. A kysymyslause may invert word order, use a question word, or rely on intonation. A käskylause uses the verb in its imperative form and often omits the subject, which is understood from context. The concept of lausemuoto provides a concise way to describe how a sentence functions in communication and how it is built syntactically.