pysyä

Pysyä is a Finnish intransitive verb meaning to stay, remain, or persist in a location, state, or course of action. It can refer to physical staying in a place (for example, “pysyn kotona” I stay at home) as well as to maintaining a condition or continuing a tendency (for example, “pysyä ajan tasalla” to stay up to date, or “pysyä kurissa” to stay under control). The verb often combines with adverbial or locational phrases such as kotona, paikallaan, tai käsillä, and with idiomatic expressions like pysyä kärryillä (to stay on track), pysyä mukana (to keep up), or pysyä perillä (to stay informed).

Conjugation and forms

Pysyä is conjugated with the base pysy- and has typical Finnish verb forms. Present indicative: minä pysyn, sinä pysyt, hän pysyy, me pysymme, te pysytte, he pysyvät. Imperfect: minä pysyin, sinä pysyit, hän pysyi, me pysyimme, te pysyitte, he pysyivät. Perfect: minä olen pysynyt, sinä olet pysynyt, hän on pysynyt, me olemme pysyneet, te olette pysyneet, he ovat pysyneet. Conditional (present): minä pysyisin, sinä pysyisit, hän pysyisi, me pysyisimme, te pysyisitte, he pysyisivät. Imperative: pysy! (singular) ja pysykää! (plural). The past participle pysynyt is used with olla to form perfect tenses.

Usage notes

Pysyä is used mainly intransitively. Objects or complements are expressed with adverbial or locational phrases rather than a direct object, e.g., pysyä kotona, pysyä erossa (to stay away), pysyä kartalla (to stay on track). It has several common collocations and idioms, such as pysyä ajan tasalla, pysyä kärryillä, and pysyä mukana. A closely related verb with a nuance of lingering or lingering temporarily is viipyä, which implies a slower, more lingering presence than pysyä.

Etymology

Pysyä derives from the Finnish root pysy- and belongs to a core class of intransitive verbs in Finnish. It expresses a stable state or continuation rather than action directed at an object.