sinämuotoa

Sinämuotoa, or sinä-muotoa, refers to the second-person singular verb form in Finnish, used when addressing one person informally. It is the form that corresponds to the pronoun sinä (you, informal). The sinä-form contrasts with the te-form, which is used for plural you and can also function as a formal or distant singular address in some contexts.

In everyday Finnish, verbs in the present tense in the sinä-form typically end in the letter -t after the verb stem. Examples include: sinä menet (you go), sinä teet (you do/make), sinä olet (you are). Past tense forms also have distinct sinä-form endings, for example sinä menit (you went) and sinä kirjoitit (you wrote). The exact form varies by verb class, but the general pattern is that the second-person singular is marked separately from the first- and third-person forms.

Usage and social context are central to the sinä-muot. It is the default form in casual, everyday speech with friends, family, peers, and most acquaintances. The te-form is used for addressing groups and, in some contexts, for polite or formal singular address when speaking to someone in a position of authority or a stranger; in modern Finnish, the te-form as a singular polite address is not as common as in some other languages and is often reserved for very formal or traditional contexts.

The term sinämuoto (singular) is widely taught in Finnish grammar to distinguish it from te-muoto and from third-person forms. See also te-muoto, olla, and verb conjugation in Finnish.