Third Person Lengthening

Level 1

In Finnish, to say 'he/she/it does something', you usually double the last vowel of the verb stem (e.g., puhu- → puhuu).

How It Works

This pattern, known as kolmannen persoonan vokaalin pidentyminen, ensures that the Finnish third person singular present tense usually ends in a long vowel or a diphthong.

How to form it:
1. Start with the verb stem (e.g., puhu- from puhua).
2. If the stem ends in a single short vowel, repeat that exact vowel (puhuu, itkee, tietää). This also applies to Verb Types 5 and 6, which lengthen their final -e (tarvitsee, pakenee).
3. For Verb Type 4 verbs, if the stem ends in two different vowels (like halua-), double the final vowel (hän haluaa). If the stem ends in two identical vowels (like osaa- from osata), it already has a long vowel and does not take an extra one.
4. If the stem already ends in a long vowel (like myy- or osaa-) or a diphthong (like juo-), do not add another vowel. The form stays the same as the stem (hän myy, hän osaa, hän juo).

Key Rules:

  • Zero Consonant Ending: Unlike English (which adds '-s') or other Finnish persons (which get -n, -t, -mme), the Finnish 3rd person singular takes no consonant ending at all. The vowel lengthening is the personal ending.
  • The 'olla' Exception: The most common verb, olla, does not follow this rule. The form is simply hän on.
  • Consonant Gradation: In Verb Type 1, the hän form uses the strong grade of consonant gradation (e.g., hän lukee), while the minä form is weak (minä luen). However, in Verb Type 3, both the minä and hän forms use the strong grade (e.g., minä ompelen, hän ompelee). Gradating Type 4 verbs likewise have the strong grade in both: minä tapaan, hän tapaa, compared with infinitive tavata.
  • Verb Type 2: Most Verb Type 2 verbs (like juoda → hän juo) do not lengthen because their stems already end in a diphthong or long vowel. However, tehdä (hän tekee) and nähdä (hän näkee) are exceptions that do lengthen.
  • Affirmative Present: In the indicative mood, this lengthening happens in the affirmative present tense. It is not used in the negative form (hän ei puhu) or in the past tense (hän puhui). The past has a different personal-ending pattern. Present oppia → hän oppii shows that a stem-final i can lengthen; past hän oppi does not add that present ending.
  • Conditional Mood Trap: In the conditional mood, the 3rd person singular ends in '-isi' and does not lengthen (e.g., hän puhuisi, not *hän puhuisii). This is the conditional third-person zero ending, not a restriction against long ii.
  • Spoken Finnish Plural: In spoken Finnish (puhekieli), the pronoun ne (they) is paired with the 3rd person singular verb form (e.g., ne puhuu), making this lengthened form crucial for plurals in everyday speech.

Examples (6)

  1. Hän asuu Suomessa.

    He/she lives in Finland.

    Word by Word: He/she lives Finland-in.

    The verb 'asua' (to live) has the stem 'asu-'. We double the 'u' to get 'asuu'.

  2. Lapsi itkee.

    The child is crying.

    Word by Word: Child cries.

    The verb 'itkeä' (to cry) has the stem 'itke-'. We double the 'e' to get 'itkee'.

  3. Hän lukee kirjaa.

    He/she is reading a book.

    Word by Word: He/she reads book.

    Note the strong grade 'k' in 'lukee', compared to the weak grade in 'minä luen'.

  4. Mies kävelee kotiin.

    The man walks home.

    Word by Word: Man walks home-to.

    A Type 3 verb 'kävellä' (to walk). The stem is 'kävele-', which becomes 'kävelee'.

  5. Hän tarvitsee apua.

    He/she needs help.

    Word by Word: He/she needs help.

    A Type 5 verb 'tarvita' (to need). The stem is 'tarvitse-', which becomes 'tarvitsee'.

  6. Hän tekee ruokaa.

    He/she is making food.

    Word by Word: He/she makes food.

    Although 'tehdä' is a Type 2 verb, it is an exception that uses vowel lengthening ('tekee').

Common Mistakes

  • Using the weak grade instead of the strong grade in Verb Type 1.

    Hän lue kirjaa.
    Hän lukee kirjaa.

    In Verb Type 1, the third person singular requires the strong grade (k, p, t), unlike the 'I' and 'you' forms.

  • Forgetting to double the vowel.

    Hän asu täällä.
    Hän asuu täällä.

    Without the double vowel, the word sounds like the 'connegative' form used in negative sentences (e.g., 'hän ei asu').

  • Lengthening the vowel in the conditional mood.

    Hän puhuisii.
    Hän puhuisi.

    In the conditional mood, the third person singular ends in '-isi' and does not lengthen the final vowel.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Third Person LengtheningLevel 1

Learn This First

To understand third person vowel lengthening, you first need to know how Type 1 verbs are structured and how Finnish handles vowel length. It is also helpful to see how this form differs from the other personal endings in the present tense.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.