Translative Verbs: Verbtype 6 and Others
Verbtype 6 is known for verbs that present a change of state, e.g. lämmetä “to become warmer”, kylmetä “to become colder” or vanheta “to become older”. However, other verbtypes can also have verbs that carry this meaning. Verbs that express a change of state or being are usually called translative verbs. In this article, we will take a look at verbtype 6 and other translative verbs.
1. Translative Verbs Based on Adjectives
The clearest group of translative verbs are based on adjectives and express something gaining the quality of the adjective, or gaining more of the quality.
The verbs that are marked with an asterisk (*) have corresponding verbtype 6 verbs that are synonyms for the translative verbs. You can read more about the relationship between these verbs further down.
| Adjective | English | Derivate | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| vaikea | difficult | vaikeutua | to become (more) difficult |
| sokea | blind | sokeutua | to become (more) blind |
| kipeä | painful | kipeytyä | to become (more) painful |
| rapea | crispy | rapeutua | to become (more) crispy |
| nopea | quick | nopeutua | to become fast (faster) |
| selkeä | clear | selkeytyä | to become clear (clearer) |
| murea | tender | mureutua | to become (more) tender |
| ruskea | brown | ruskeutua | to become (more) brown |
| kuuro | deaf | kuuroutua | to become (more) deaf |
| juro | sullen | juroutua | to become (more) sullen |
| irti | loose | irtautua | to become loose, looser |
| suuri | big | suurentua* | to become big, bigger |
| nuori | young | nuorentua* | to become young, younger |
| heikko | weak | heikentyä* | to become weak, weaker |
| mieto | mild | miedontua | to become mild, milder |
| vanha | old | vanhentua* | to become older |
| laaja | broad | laajentua* | to become (more) broad |
| paha | bad | pahentua* | to become bad, worse |
| halpa | cheap | halventua* | to become cheaper |
| kuuma | hot | kuumentua* | to become hot, hotter |
| kylmä | cold | kylmentyä* | to become cold, colder |
| synkkä | dreary | synkentyä* | to become (more) dreary |
| pitkä | long | pidentyä* | to become longer |
| lievä | gentle | lieventyä* | to become (more) gentle |
| lyhyt | short | lyhentyä* | to become short, shorter |
| pimeä | dark | pimentyä* | to become dark, darker |
| vaalea | light | vaalentua* | to become light, lighter |
| vaimea | subdued | vaimentua* | to become (more) subdued |
| himmeä | matt, dim | himmentyä* | to become (more) dim |
| tumma | dark | tummua* | to become dark, darker |
| laiha | thin | laihtua | to become thin, thinner |
| katkera | bitter | katkeroitua | to become bitter |
| matala | low | mataloitua | to become lower |
| vakava | serious | vakavoitua | to become (more) serious |
| terävä | sharp | terävöityä | to become sharper |
| pätevä | proficient | pätevöityä | to become qualified |
| hoikka | slim | hoikistua* | to become skinnier |
| herkkä | sensitive | herkistyä | to become sensitized to |
| nolo | embarrassed | nolostua | to become embarrassed |
| terve | healthy | tervehtyä | to become healthy |
2. Translative Verbs Based on Nouns
Some translative verbs are based on nouns, and express that the subject becomes more like the noun. This is much less common, and these verbs don’t have verbtype 6 verbs that mean the same thing.
| Noun | English | Derivate | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| lima | slime | limautua | to become slimy |
| rasva | grease | rasvautua | to become greasy |
| lika | dirt | likaantua | to become dirty |
| sohjo | sludge | sohjoutua | to become (more) sludgy |
| home | mould | homehtua | to become mouldy |
| tukko | clog | tukkeutua | to get clogged |
| muoto | shape | muotoutua | to take shape |
| haava | wound | haavautua | to get wounded |
| vamma | injury | vammautua | to get injured |
| ruuhka | (traffic) jam | ruuhkautua | to get jammed |
| liitto | union | liittoutua | to become allies |
3. Corresponding Verbtype 6 Verbs
Below, you can find a condensed version of verbs that have two translative verbs, one of which belongs to verbtype 6. Generally both verbs are used in the same contexts, without there being one that’s clearly used more often.
| Verbs | Verbtype 6 |
|---|---|
| halventua | halveta |
| heikentyä | heiketä |
| himmentyä | himmetä |
| hoikistua | hoiketa |
| kuumentua | kuumeta |
| kylmentyä | kylmetä |
| laajentua | laajeta |
| lieventyä | lievetä |
| lyhentyä | lyhetä |
| nuorentua | nuoreta |
| pahentua | paheta |
| pidentyä | pidetä |
| pimentyä | pimetä |
| selkeytyä | seljetä |
| suurentua | suureta |
| synkentyä | synketä |
| tummua | tummeta |
| vaalentua | vaaleta |
| vaimentua | vaimeta |
| vanhentua | vanheta |
4. Verbs with Mixed Paradigms
Usually, verbs can be conjugated in all the tenses and moods. However, occasionally there will be holes in the system. Two verbs might get fused together, in a way where some forms from the one verb are used and some from the other.
A good example for this are the verbs parata and parantua. The verbtype 6 verb parata will not be used in forms where there is a consonant stem: the infinitive (parat-), the participles (parat-tu, parat-tava) and the passive (parat-tiin, parat-taisiin).
- PARATA:
- Minä paranen nopeasti. (present first person singular)
- Mies parani heti. (past third person singular)
- Parane pian! (singular imperative)
- PARANTUA:
- Minä haluan parantua. (infinitive)
- Minä olen parantunut. (NUT-participle)
- Me parannuttiin. (past passive)
Two more examples would be “to get smaller” and “to get bad, worse”:
- PIENETÄ:
- Vakuutusmaksu pienenee.
- Kesälomabudjetti pieneni.
- Päiväkotiryhmät pienenevät.
- PIENENTYÄ:
- Asukasluku alkoi pienentyä.
- Ostettujen kirjojen määrä on pienentynyt.
- Kustannukset ovat pienentyneet.
- HUONOTA:
- Sää huononee.
- Jospa sää ei huononisi.
- Heidän suhteensa huononi.
- HUONONTUA:
- Sää ei saa huonontua.
- Heidän suhteensa on huonontunut.
5. Interesting Reads in Finnish
If you want to learn more about this topic, you could check out the following sources:
- Thesis: Verbijohdokset -ne- ja -ntu- nykykielessä
- Blogulblog’s Blog: Derivarea verbelor
About the third point: “Generally both verbs are used in the same contexts, without there being one that’s clearly used more often.”
So do i understand it correctly, i can use both of these, or the one i like(more) and the natives will not find it weird if i would use one form over another
himmentyä vs himmetä
Ulkona himmentyy vs Ulkona himmenee
I can pick the one which i like more? 🙂
Generally, yes! Nothing is ever 100%. It can also depends on what form you’re using.
Just like in point 4, certain forms may be more popular in point 3 as well. The sinä-form, for example, is more commonly the verbtype 6 version, in order to avoid the consonant gradation -nn- (sinä pidennyt vs. sinä pitenet). The NUT-participle is more commonly based on the verbtype 1 version, in order to avoid for -nn- of verbtype 6 (on pidentynyt vs. on pidennyt). See how pidennyt could mean two things? It’s nice to be able to avoid that confusion.
However, you are likely to come across both versions, especially in the basic form and in the hän/se form.
I am quite unsure about what is meant in the 4. point by consonant stem? Why in the infinitive there is claimed to be consonant stem when the verb parata ends in vowel? Thank you!
I’ll make the text in that section a bit less confusing, it’s indeed hard to understand! What I meant is that the infinitive of parata has the consonant stem parat-, but this verbtype is linguistically speaking difficult because of the history of the -t- there. I don’t think it’s necessary for people to learn this.
However, if you’re interested: The verb ends in a vowel, but the verb stem of the verb can be seen to end in a consonant. In linguistics, you can find both tava-ta and tavat-a for the stem of the verb tavata. This is due to a historical linguistic change that has happened to verbtype 4 verbs (the infinitive has been reconstricted as tavat-tak). This is the reason you get tavat-kaa in the plural imperative: the -t- remains because we use the consonant stem for the plural imperative.