tekemään

Tekemään is the third infinitive (ma-infinitiivi) of the Finnish verb tehdä, meaning “to do” or “to make.” It is a non-finite verb form used to express purpose or intention and often appears after verbs of motion or other verbs that convey intention, to indicate what someone intends to do.

The form is created by adding the suffix -mään to the stem of the verb, yielding tekemään from tehdä. This construction is common in phrases that describe going to perform a task. In practice, tekemään is used in clauses that convey purpose or planned action, especially after verbs such as mennä and lähteä: for example, mennä tekemään ruokaa (to go and make food) or hän lähti tekemään töitä (he left to do/work).

Usage and nuance: the third infinitive functions as a non-finite clause that complements the main verb, often signaling the action that is intended or undertaken. It can be used with a subject implied from the main clause, and it contrasts with the plain or finite forms of tehdä used to state that someone simply does something. While both tekemiä and other infinitives exist in Finnish, tekemään is the standard form when expressing purpose after motion verbs or similar contexts.

Examples:

- Mennään tekemään ruokaa. (Let’s go make food.)

- Hän lähti tekemään töitä. (She left to do/work.)

- Aion mennä tekemään tutkimusta. (I intend to go and do some research.)

See also: Finnish infinitiivit, kolmas infinitiivi, and verb phrases expressing purpose.