-tu/-ty

Passive Participle (-tu/-ty)

Level 3

The passive past participle (-tu/-ty) is used to describe the result of an action (tehty työ = a done job) or to form the passive perfect tense (on tehty = has been done).

How It Works

The passive past participle (also called the TU-participle) has three primary roles in Finnish:

1. As an Adjective: It describes a state resulting from a completed action. For example, maalattu talo (a painted house). When used as an adjective, it must agree in case and number with the noun it modifies.
2. In Compound Tenses: It is used with the verb olla to form the passive perfect (on tehty) and pluperfect (oli tehty). Note that when used as a verb in compound tenses, the participle is strictly invariable and never takes a plural marker.
3. In Negation: It forms the negative past passive (ei tehty = was not done), as well as the negative perfect (ei ole tehty) and negative pluperfect (ei ollut tehty). Like in compound tenses, it remains invariable in negation.

Spoken Language 'We': In spoken Finnish, the passive participle is ubiquitously used to replace the first-person plural ('we' / Me-passiivi). For example, me ollaan tehty (we have done).

Formation Rules:
The ending follows vowel harmony: use -u if the word contains a, o, u, and -y if it contains ä, ö, y, or only e, i.

  • Verb Type 1: Remove the final infinitive vowel, apply the weak grade of consonant gradation, and add -ttu/-tty. If the infinitive ends in -aa/-ää, the vowel changes to -e- (e.g., antaa → annettu; lukea → luettu).
  • Verb Type 2: Remove the infinitive ending and add -tu/-ty (e.g., juoda → juotu; syödä → syöty).
  • Verb Type 3: Remove the final two letters of the Type 3 infinitive (-la/-lä, -na/-nä, -ra/-rä, -ta/-tä), retaining the preceding consonant, and add -tu/-ty. Type 3 keeps the grade of that infinitive stem (e.g., mennä → menty; tulla → tultu).
  • Verb Types 4, 5, & 6: Remove the infinitive ending -ta/-tä and add -ttu/-tty. These types do not undergo gradation in this form (e.g., haluta → haluttu; tarvita → tarvittu).

Important Nuance: The Finnish impersonal passive normally presents human action. Do not mechanically translate an English passive for an uncontrolled change: järvi on jäätynyt means the lake has frozen, while luistinrata on jäädytetty means someone has made the rink freeze. Adjectival participles can develop established meanings, so learn those uses individually.

Which Noun Does the Participle Describe?
In the usual adjective use, a TU-participle describes what a transitive action affects: maalattu talo. An intransitive verb instead uses the active past participle to describe its participant: kuollut mies, not kuoltu mies. Intransitive verbs can still form impersonal passive verb constructions: Täällä on nukuttu (People have slept here). The adjective restriction is not a ban on all passive forms of intransitive verbs.

Examples (4)

  1. Löysin kadotetun avaimen pihalta.

    I found the lost key in the yard.

    Word by Word: I-found lost key from-yard.

    Here, 'kadotettu' (from kadottaa) acts as an adjective describing the state of the key.

  2. Tämä kirja on luettu monta kertaa.

    This book has been read many times.

    Word by Word: This book is read many times.

    This is the passive perfect tense, showing the action is completed.

  3. Sitä ovea ei lukittu yöksi.

    That door was not locked for the night.

    Word by Word: That door not locked for-night.

    The negative past passive uses the TU-participle after the negative verb 'ei'.

  4. Me ollaan jo syöty. (Kirjakieli: Me olemme jo syöneet.)

    We have already eaten.

    Word by Word: We are already eaten.

    In spoken Finnish, the passive perfect is used for the 1st person plural ('we'). The standard written Finnish (kirjakieli) equivalent uses the active perfect.

Common Mistakes

  • Applying the wrong consonant grade to Verb Types 4, 5, and 6.

    Se on tapattu.
    Se on tavattu.

    While Verb Type 1 undergoes consonant gradation (e.g., 'ottaa' becomes 'otettu'), Verb Type 4 uses the infinitive stem which is already in the weak grade. For example, 'tavata' (to meet) becomes 'tavattu', not the invented 'tapattu'. The participle of tappaa (kill) is tapettu.

  • Including a personal agent with the passive participle.

    Minun tehty työ.
    Minun tekemäni työ.

    If you want to say 'The work done by me', you must use the agent participle. An ordinary genitive personal agent modifying a noun uses the agent participle, not a bare TU-participle. This does not ban all contextual expressions of how an action was carried out.

  • Choosing an active or passive meaning contrary to what you intend.

    Different MeaningMies on tapettu.
    Mies on tappanut.

    Both example sentences are grammatical. Tappanut means he has killed; tapettu means he has been killed. Choose the participle for the intended role.

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-tu/-tyLevel 3Passive Participle (-tu/-ty)

Learn This First

To understand the passive participle (-tu/-ty), you need to be familiar with how the passive stem is formed in Finnish, which is first introduced in the passive present tense. Additionally, because these participles function as adjectives (e.g., 'the opened door'), you must understand vowel harmony for the suffix and how adjectives agree with nouns in Finnish.

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-tu-ty-ttu