-matta

Without Doing (-matta)

Level 3

Use the -matta / -mättä ending to describe an action that is not performed while another action takes place. It is the verbal equivalent of "without."

How It Works

The third infinitive abessive is a highly productive and common form in modern Finnish. Unlike the noun abessive (e.g., rahatta - without money), which is often replaced by ilman in speech, the verbal -matta form is the standard way to express "without doing" in all registers.

1. Formation:
To form this, use the 3rd person plural stem (found by taking the he-form and dropping the -vat/-vät ending). This stem always uses the strong grade. The suffix is subject to vowel harmony, becoming -matta or -mättä depending on the vowels in the word.

  • lukea (he lukevat) → luke- + -ma- + -tta = lukematta
  • syödä (he syövät) → syö- + -mä- + -ttä = syömättä
  • auttaa (he auttavat) → autta- + -ma- + -tta = auttamatta

2. Object Case:
When the -matta form acts as an adverbial adjunct (meaning "without doing X"), its direct object must be in the partitive case. However, when used in a verb chain with verbs like jättää, the main verb governs the object case (allowing genitive/accusative or nominative).

  • Hän lähti sanomatta sanaakaan. (He left without saying a word.)
  • Jätin oven lukitsematta. (I left the door unlocked.)

3. Usage with Different Agents:
If the person not doing the action is the same as the subject of the sentence, no extra endings are needed. However, if the 'non-doer' is different, you can specify the agent. Note that this construction is highly restricted and mostly lexicalized to verbs of perception, cognition, and permission (e.g., huomata, nähdä, tietää, kuulla):

  • Noun agent: Use the genitive case: Hän lähti Pekan huomaamatta. (He left without Pekka noticing.)
  • Pronoun agent: Add a possessive suffix. For the 1st and 2nd person, the genitive pronoun is optional ((minun) huomaamattani). For the 3rd person, the pronoun hänen or heidän is required to clarify the agent: Hän lähti hänen huomaamattaan. (He left without his/her noticing.)
  • Impersonal usage: The form can also be used without a specific agent to imply "without anyone doing": Ovi oli lukitsematta. (The door was without [anyone] locking it.)

4. Common Verb Patterns:

  • With olla: Indicates a state of having not done something. Olen ollut syömättä koko päivän. (I have been without eating all day.)
  • With ei voi olla -matta: Expresses "cannot help but" do something. En voi olla nauramatta. (I can't help laughing.)
  • With jäädä (to remain): Läksyt jäivät tekemättä. (The homework remained undone.)
  • With jättää (to leave something): Jätin oven lukitsematta. (I left the door unlocked/without locking.)

5. Lexicalized Postpositions:
The -matta form has also fossilized into several very common postpositions that typically govern the elative case (-sta/-stä). These include huolimatta (despite / regardless of), riippumatta (regardless of / irrespective of), and lukuun ottamatta (except for / excluding, which governs the partitive).

  • Sateesta huolimatta menimme ulos. (Despite the rain, we went outside.)
  • Iästä riippumatta kaikki voivat osallistua. (Regardless of age, everyone can participate.)
  • Kaikki tulivat, Pekkaa lukuun ottamatta. (Everyone came, except for Pekka.)

Examples (5)

  1. Hän lähti kotiin sanomatta sanaakaan.

    He went home without saying a word.

    Word by Word: He left to-home without-saying word-even.

    Here, 'sanomatta' describes the manner of leaving—specifically, that no speaking occurred.

  2. Tein sen miettimättä seurauksia.

    I did it without thinking about the consequences.

    Word by Word: I-did it without-thinking consequences.

    The verb 'miettiä' (to think/ponder) takes the -mättä ending to show the lack of reflection.

  3. En voi olla nauramatta.

    I can't help laughing (literally: I cannot be without laughing).

    Word by Word: Not-I can be without-laughing.

    A common idiom where 'olla' + '-matta' expresses that one cannot refrain from an action.

  4. Hän tuli sisään kenenkään huomaamatta.

    He came in without anyone noticing.

    Word by Word: He came inside anyone's without-noticing.

    When the subject of the 'without' action is different (anyone), the agent is in the genitive case.

  5. Jätin oven lukitsematta.

    I left the door unlocked (without locking).

    Word by Word: I-left door-of without-locking.

    Using '-matta' describes the state in which the door was left.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding ilman unnecessarily when writing concise standard prose.

    Hän lähti ilman sanomatta mitään.
    Hän lähti sanomatta mitään.

    The -matta ending already expresses without, so sanomatta mitään is sufficient. Ilman sanomatta also occurs in informal usage; this is a recommendation for concise standard writing, not evidence that speakers cannot use the combination.

  • Using the weak grade stem instead of the strong grade.

    Luin kirjan luematta sitä tarkasti.
    Luin kirjan lukematta sitä tarkasti.

    The third infinitive always uses the strong grade (k, p, t remain or are doubled). 'Lue-' is the weak stem; 'luke-' is the strong stem.

  • Confusing the adverb '-matta' with the adjective '-maton'.

    Tämä on sanomatta sääntö.
    Tämä on sanomaton sääntö.

    Use '-matta' to describe an action (adverb) and '-maton' to describe a noun (adjective). 'Sanomaton sääntö' means 'an unsaid rule'.

How It Connects

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-mattaLevel 3Without Doing (-matta)

Learn This First

To understand the third infinitive -matta, you first need to know how to form the third infinitive stem (-ma/-mä) from various verb types. Since the suffix has two forms (-matta and -mättä), vowel harmony is required. Conceptually, it helps to understand the preposition 'ilman' (without), as this pattern expresses the same idea for actions.

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Words in This Pattern

-ma-tta