Imperfection / Learning nothing

As I just said in the previous post, today (Tuesday) is another language exam, so I had really better do some revision.  As I am in a sharing mood you, oh lucky reader, get to revise alongside me the glories of Level 3 Finnish for Foreigners.  Those with uncomfortable memories of attempting to learn a language at school may want to look away now... The rest of you may need the following reference materials to join in properly: Suomen Kielen Alkeisoppikirja, Harjituskirja, Suomi-Englanti-Suomi Sanakirja, Hyvin Menee!, Finnish: An Essential Grammar, and a Finnish speaking person may also come in useful in a pinch...

So what have we done the last three weeks? Ah the mysteries of the past, the past tenses that is: Imperfekti (I did...), Perfekti (I have done...), and Pluskvamperfecti (I had done...); Konditionaali (would/could/should); Omistusliite (possessive suffixes); and Indefiniittipronominit.  Here's an example

• Imperfekti (the imperfect or 'simple' past tense):
  

Basically (for the positive) you chuck an i into the verb - most of the time anyway.

So with verbityypit 1, 3 & 5 if the verb 'stem/body' (vartalo) ends with o, ö, u, y you add an -i- before the persoonapääte (the personal prounoun suffix), but if the vartalo ends a, ä, e, i you drop that vowel (vokaali) before adding the i. eg:

SANOA (to say)> sano-> sanoi- > eg: sanoimme (we said)

LUKEA (to read)> lue-> lui- > eg: luin (I read); he lukivat sen eilen (they read it yesterday). [Note the disappearing/reappearing K. This is known as 'type 1 verb consonant gradation' but doesn't apply to the hän (he/she) and he (they) person]

AJATELLA (to think)> ajattele-> ajatteli- > eg: hän ajatteli (he/she thought); ajattelitko asiaa? (did you think of something?) [Note the gaining of an extra T. This is known as 'type 3 verb reverse consonant gradation, which applies to all the personal versions]

However, if any of these verbs have just two syllables were the first and last vowels in the vartalo are both a then instead of just substituting i for the last a, you put -oi-

eg: ALKAA (to start) > al-a- / al-ka > alan (I start) > aloin (I started) [there goes that K again]

Type 2 verbs are complicated in that double vowels (VV) lose 1 and get an i as expected, but -uo, -yö, -oi, vartalo endings lose the first vowel and then get an -i- 

eg: SAADA (to get/receive) > saa- > saitte (you [plural/polite] received);  hän sai lahjan (he/she got a present)

SYÖDÄ (to eat) > syö- > söin omenan (I ate an apple)

Type 4 verbs are different as they have -si- added instead of -i- 

eg: HALUTA (to want)> halua-> haluasitko? (what did you want?)

For negative imperfect constructions you have to use the negatory verb ei with the perusmutto of the verb (that is with the end chopped off, which is not the same as the vartalo) then add the ending  -nut/-nyt for singular and -neet for plural. Usually. eg:

VT1: SOITTAA (to call/ring) > en soittanut (I didn't call); emme soittaneet (we didn't call)

VT2: SYÖDÄ (to eat) > et syönyt (you didn't eat); he eivät syöneet (they didn't eat)

VT3: MENNÄ (to go) > hän ei mennyt (he/she didn't go); ette menneet (you [pl.] didn't go)

VT3: TULLA (to come)> en tullut; emme tulleet

VT3: PESTÄ (to wash)> en pessyt; emme pesseet

VT4: HALUTA (to want)> en halunnut; emme halunneet

VT5: VALITA (to choose) > hän ei valinnut; he eivät valinneet

I'll skip most of the rest (otherwise I might as well write my own Grammar book) except for the indefinite pronouns - someone, something & no-one, nothing, which I need some practice on anyway:

• Joku - someone; some; someone in/on/from/... (human)

case : - malli / example

nominative: joku - Joku soitti sinulle / someone rang (to/for) you

vartalo: jo- + ku-

partative: jotakuta - Etsittekö jotakuta / Are you searching for somebody?

accusative: jonkun - Tapasitko jonkun siellä? / Did you meet someone there?

genetive: jonkun - Täällä on jonkun lompakko / Here (there) is someone's wallet

illative: johonkuhun - Kaisa on ihastunut johonkuhun italialaiseen / Kaisa has 'fallen for' someone Italian

inessive: jossakussa -

elative: jostakusta - Juoruatteko se taas jostakusta / 

allative: jollekulle

adessive: jollakulla - Kun jollakulla on nimipäivä, juhlitaan / When someone has (a) name-day, celebrate.

ablative: joltakulta - Sinulle tuli kortti joltakulta / To you came (a) card from someone

plural nom.: jotkut

• ei mikään - nothing; none; not anything; nowhere; not somewhere (non-human)

nominative: ei mikään - Häntä ei kiinnosta mikään / He/she is not interested in anything

partative: ei mitään - Eilen en tehnyt mitään / Yesterday I did nothing

genetive: ei minkään

illative: ei mihinkään - Paula ei mennyt mihinkään juhannuksena / Paula didn't go (to) anywhere at Juhannus (midsummer)

inessive: ei missään - Hän ei ollut missään juhannuksena / She had gone nowhere (for) midsummer

elative: ei mistään - Me emme halua puhua mistään / We didn't want to talk about anything

allative: ei millekään - En halua osallistua millekään kurssille / I don't want to take part on (in) some course

adessive: ei millään - Millään ei ole väliä / On nothing is/be care = 'nothing matters'

ablative: ei miltään - Eikö suomalainen ruoka maistu miltään? / Doesn't Finnish food taste of (off/from) anything/something?

So, I guess the question is, have I learnt 'nothing' yet?