A1 Finnish GrammarBasic Word Order
Learn Finnish SVO word order and its flexibility. Understand how word order changes for questions, emphasis, and information structure.
1Basic SVO Order
Finnish basic word order is SVO (Subject-Verb-Object), similar to English. However, Finnish is more flexible because case endings show grammatical relationships.
SVO Word Order
| Subject | Verb | Object | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minä | luen | kirjaa. | I read a book. |
| Koira | syö | ruokaa. | The dog eats food. |
| Hän | ostaa | auton. | He/she buys a car. |
| Me | puhumme | suomea. | We speak Finnish. |
Examples
Minä asun Suomessa.
I live in Finland.
SVO order
Lapset leikkivät puistossa.
The children play in the park.
subject-verb-location
Isä lukee sanomalehteä.
Father reads the newspaper.
SVO
Ă„iti tekee ruokaa.
Mother makes food.
standard order
2Questions
Yes/no questions add -ko/-kö to the verb (first word). The questioned word comes first. Wh-questions start with the question word.
Question Formation
| Statement | Question | English |
|---|---|---|
| Sinä puhut. | Puhutko sinä? | Do you speak? |
| Hän tulee. | Tuleeko hän? | Is he/she coming? |
| — | Mikä tämä on? | What is this? |
| — | Missä sinä asut? | Where do you live? |
Examples
Puhutko suomea?
Do you speak Finnish?
verb + ko/kö
Onko tämä sinun?
Is this yours?
on + ko
Mitä sinä teet?
What are you doing?
mitä = what
Kuka hän on?
Who is he/she?
kuka = who
3Flexible Word Order
Finnish word order is flexible for emphasis. Put important/new information last, or move emphasized elements first. Cases keep the meaning clear.
Order Changes Meaning
| Finnish | Focus/Emphasis | English |
|---|---|---|
| Minä luen kirjaa. | neutral | I read a book. |
| Kirjaa luen minä. | emphasis on book | It's a BOOK I'm reading. |
| Minä kirjaa luen. | emphasis on 'I' | I am the one reading. |
| Huomenna tulen. | emphasis on tomorrow | TOMORROW I'll come. |
Examples
Tänään minä siivoan.
TODAY I'm cleaning.
time first = emphasis
Sinulle annan tämän.
To YOU I give this.
recipient emphasized
Kotona olen illalla.
I'll be at HOME in the evening.
location emphasized
Kahvia haluan.
COFFEE is what I want.
object first
4Negation Changes Order
In negative sentences, the negative verb 'ei' conjugates, and the main verb stays in stem form. The word 'ei' comes before the main verb.
Negative Sentences
| Positive | Negative | English |
|---|---|---|
| Minä puhun. | Minä en puhu. | I don't speak. |
| Sinä tulet. | Sinä et tule. | You don't come. |
| Hän syö. | Hän ei syö. | He/she doesn't eat. |
| Me menemme. | Me emme mene. | We don't go. |
Examples
En ymmärrä.
I don't understand.
en + stem
Hän ei puhu suomea.
He/she doesn't speak Finnish.
ei + puhu
Emme tiedä.
We don't know.
emme + stem
Et ole väärässä.
You're not wrong.
et + ole