mainfinitiiviä

Mainfinitiiviä, often called the ma-infinitiivi or the -maan/-mään infinitive in Finnish grammar, is a non-finite verb form. It is formed by attaching the suffix -maan or -mään to the verb stem, as in syömään (to eat from syödä), lukemaan (to read from lukea), or tekemään (to do from tehdä). The ma-infinitiivi is distinct from the present active infinitive and from participial forms.

The ma-infinitiivi is commonly used to express purpose, intention, or direction, typically in combination with a main verb of movement or action. Examples include menen syömään (I am going to eat) and aion lukea kirjaa (I intend to read a book). It also appears after adjectives or set phrases to indicate readiness or willingness, for instance valmiina tekemään sen (ready to do it). In many contexts it functions to connect actions without forming a new finite clause, providing a concise way to describe related activities.

Finnish grammars distinguish the ma-infinitive from other non-finite forms in both function and position within a sentence. While the perusinfinitiivi (present active infinitive) often serves as the core infinitive, the ma-infinitiivi adds a nuance of purpose, intent, or simultaneous action. The form is productive across verbs of various classes and is especially common after verbs of motion or after adjectives that govern inflected complements.

Related terms include the -maan/-mään construction and, more broadly, other non-finite verb forms such as participles and the traditional infinitives. Understanding the ma-infinitiivi helps explain how Finnish expresses intention and purpose within compact clauses.