tuhoamaan

Tuhoamaan is a Finnish verb form meaning “to destroy.” It is the 3rd infinitive form (the -maan/-mään suffix) derived from the verb tuhoaa, which itself means to destroy. The 3rd infinitive is a non-finite form used in certain constructions to express purpose, intention, or connected actions, and it is often found in clauses that follow verbs like mennä (to go) or ryhtyä (to undertake).

Formation and forms

The 3rd infinitive tuhoamaan is created by adding the suffix -maan to the verb stem tuho- and varies with vowel harmony as -maan or -mään. As a non-finite form, tuhoamaan does not carry person, number, or tense by itself; it requires an auxiliary or main verb to establish these grammatical categories.

Usage

Tuhoamaan commonly appears in constructions that convey purpose or intention, such as "mennä tuhoamaan" (to go to destroy) or similar non-finite clauses. It is also encountered in literary or formal language to describe planned or hypothetical actions. In everyday Finnish, speakers more often use the finite verb tuhota or other periphrastic forms when expressing destruction, but tuhoamaan remains a recognized grammatical form for specific syntactic purposes.

Related terms

- tuhota: the basic verb meaning “to destroy.”

- tuhoaminen: the gerund or noun form meaning “destruction.”

- tuho: the noun for the concept of destruction.

- Finnish grammar: the 3rd infinitive (the -maan/-mään form) and its uses.

See also

Finnish grammar, tuho, tuhota, tuhoaminen.