Singular Imperative

The singular imperative is the standard way to address one person directly. While it is a command, it is not necessarily rude in Finnish; it is used for everything from recipes to friendly requests.

1. Formation
To form the imperative, start with the first-person singular (minä) present tense form and drop the -n:

• sanoa (to say) → sanon → Sano! (Say!)
• syödä (to eat) → syön → Syö! (Eat!)
• tulla (to come) → tulen → Tule! (Come!)

2. Consonant Gradation
Because the imperative is based on the minä-stem, it follows the consonant gradation of that form. For Verb Type 1, this means using the weak grade. However, Verb Types 3, 4, and 6 use the strong grade in the minä-stem, so their imperatives are also strong. Verb Type 2 generally does not undergo consonant gradation, but the golden rule of dropping the -n still works flawlessly for exceptions like tehdä (to do/make) → teen → Tee! (Do!).

• ottaa (to take) → otan → Ota! (Take!) [tt → t]
• nukkua (to sleep) → nukun → Nuku! (Sleep!) [kk → k]
• kuunnella (to listen) → kuuntelen → Kuuntele! (Listen!) [nn → nt]
• tavata (to meet) → tapaan → Tapaa! (Meet!) [v → p]

3. The Object Case
A special rule for imperatives is that the total object (a singular noun) does not take the -n ending (genitive-accusative). Instead, it stays in the nominative form. Plural total objects still take their normal -t ending, because that is the nominative plural form (e.g., Osta kirjat!).

• Osta kirja! (Buy the book!) vs. Ostan kirjan (I buy the book).
• Osta kirjat! (Buy the books!)

Note: Personal pronouns are an exception to this rule. When they are total objects, they keep their -t ending in commands:

• Vie minut kotiin! (Take me home!)
• Vie hänet kotiin! (Take him/her home!)

If the verb requires a partitive object, the pronoun uses the partitive form as usual (e.g., Auta minua!).

4. Negative Commands
To tell someone not to do something, use the word älä followed by the imperative stem. In negative commands, the object is always in the partitive case.

• Älä mene! (Don't go!)
• Älä avaa ovea! (Don't open the door!)

5. Softening Clitics
To make a command sound more like a friendly suggestion, you can add the clitics -pa/-pä or -s:

• Ota! → Otapas! or Otas! (Go ahead and take!)
• Tule! → Tulepa! (Come on over!)

6. Spoken Language Shortenings
In spoken Finnish (puhekieli), some very common verbs have shortened imperative forms:

• tulla → Tuu!
• mennä → Mee!
• olla → Oo!
• panna → Paa!

Pronunciation Across a Word Boundary
The standard second-person singular imperative often lengthens the next word’s initial consonant in connected speech: Tule tänne can sound approximately like “tulet tänne.” This is boundary gemination (rajageminaatio), not an extra written -t ending. Its realization varies by dialect and sound environment; keep the normal spelling Tule tänne.