Skip to content Skip to table of contents
Study Finnish

Verb type 3

Type 3 verbs have four ending patterns and are subject to consonant gradation.

Pattern

Verbs ending in -lla/-llä, -sta/-stä, -nna/-nnä, -ra/-rä. For example:

Stem

Finding the stem for type 3 verbs can be done by removing the last 2 letters from the verb then adding an -e. For example:

  • Tulla → Tule-
  • Nousta → Nouse-
  • Mennä → Mene-
  • Purra → Pure-

Examples of type 3 verb conjugations

Tulla present tense conjugation chart

Nousta present tense conjugation chart

Mennä present tense conjugation chart

Purra present tense conjugation chart

Exceptional type 3 verbs

Juosta

The conjugation for Juosta differs from other type 3 verbs in that the -sta is removed entirely and replaced with -kse, followed by the personal ending. The stem as a result is -juoks. For example:

Jousta present tense conjugation chart

Olla

Olla is the most common verb in Finnish but has an irregular conjugation. It is usually first verb taught in when starting out with the language. For example:

Olla present tense conjugation chart

Common type 3 verbs