nonfinitemuotojen

Nonfinite muotojen, or nonfinite verb forms, are verb forms that do not express finite features such as tense, number, or person. They do not function as the main predicate of a clause on their own and typically appear in subordinate clauses, as modifiers, or as complements. Nonfinite forms are often used to express aspects such as time reference relative to another clause, to function as nouns or adjectives, or to link clauses together with auxiliary verbs.

The main types of nonfinite forms include Infinitives, Participles, and Gerunds (where present in a language). Infinitives are the base verb forms and can act as nouns or as complements of other verbs, often indicating purpose or necessity. Participles come in present and past (or perfect) varieties and can function as adjectives modifying nouns or as parts of compound verb constructions to express aspect, voice, or mood. Gerunds occupy a verbal-noun function in some languages, allowing a verb to be used as a noun. Some languages also employ additional nonfinite forms such as supines or converbs, which relate to specific syntactic or temporal uses.

In Finnish, nonfinite forms are especially important in complex verb morphology. Finnish uses infinitives and participles that can modify nouns or participate in periphrastic constructions with auxiliary verbs to convey aspect, modality, or voice. The present and past participles serve adjectival and adverbial roles, while infinitives enable purpose clauses, complements of certain verbs, and other non-finite constructions. Across languages, nonfinite forms are a key tool for building complex predicates, describing events, and connecting ideas without committing to a specific subject or tense.