Necessive: 'on + -tava' (must / have to) — Finnish Grammar

This is one of the ways Finnish says something must be done. It puts ("is") with a verb form ending in -tava or -tävä, which turns the verb into a description of what needs doing — is roughly to-be-gone. The person under the obligation takes -n, the same ending that marks an owner.

The result is a sentence with no subject in the English sense. is not "I must go" so much as "of me it is to-be-gone" — the obligation is stated impersonally and you are named as the one it falls on. It means much the same as and , and is the more formal of the three.

The Pattern

Person with -n, then , then the verb in -tava/-tävä.

Minun on mentävä.
I have to go. (literally "of-me is to-be-gone")
Sinun on tehtävä se.
You have to do it.
Hänen on odotettava.
He/she has to wait.

How It Is Formed

The person takes -n: , , , , , .
never changes, whoever the obligation belongs to.
The verb takes -tava if it contains a, o or u, and -tävä if it does not.

The Past

Use ("was") instead of .

Minun oli mentävä.
I had to go.

Comments

Loading comments…