Viime Viimeinen Viimeksi Viimein
In this article, we will look at the words viime, viimeinen, viimeksi and viimein.
1. Viime
First off, viime is used in combination with an expression of time, in order to express the previous occurrence. While viime is an adjective, it does not inflect in any of the cases. The word attached to it will inflect in a variety of cases. For example, for viikko we will use viime viikolla, for keskiviikko we will use viime keskiviikkona, and for helmikuu we will use viime helmikuussa.
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| viime vuonna | last year (link) |
| viime viikolla | last week |
| viime maanantaina | last Monday (link) |
| viime tiistaina | last Tuesday |
| viime kuussa | last month (link) |
| viime helmikuussa | last February |
| viime jouluna | last Christmas |
| viime kesänä | last summer |
| viime talvena | last winter |
| viime kerralla | last time |
| viime hetkessä | at the last minute |
| viime tingassa | at the last minute |
| viime tipassa | at the last minute |
Some learners of Finnish confuse viime and sitten. These two words can be used in the same context, but they require a different word structure. For example, “viime viikolla” means the same thing as “viikko sitten” (last week). The word sitten is mainly used with numbers: “kaksi viikkoa sitten” (two weeks ago), “kolme kuukautta sitten” (three months ago).
2. Viimeinen
While viime means “last”, viimeinen means “the last”. The examples below should help understand the difference.
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| viimeinen keksi | the last cookie |
| viimeinen lämmin päivä | the last warm day |
| viimeinen ateria | the last meal |
| viimeinen varoitus | the last warning |
| viimeiset sanat | last words |
| kesän viimeinen päivä | the last day of summer |
| viimeinen keino | last resort |
| viimeinen mahdollisuus | last chance |
| viimeinen toivo | last hope |
| viimeinen ovi oikealla | the last door on the right |
| viimeinen tippa | the last drop |
In contrast with viime, the adjective viimeinen does inflect in the cases.
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| Söin viimeisen keksin. | I ate the last cookie. |
| Nautin kesän viimeisestä päivästä. | I enjoyed the last day of summer. |
| Avaan viimeisen oven oikealla. | I open the last door on the right. |
| Join oluen viimeiseen tippaan | I drank the beer to the last drop. |
| Hän tulee viimeiseksi. | He came last. |
| Hän lähti viimeiselle matkalleen. | He went on this last journey. |
3. Viimeksi
The most important usage for language learners of the word viimeksi is in questions. These questions enquire when you did something last. The answer to these questions can contain viime but it doesn’t have to.
- Milloin kävit viimeksi kaupassa?
- Kävin (viimeksi) kaupassa viime viikolla / eilen / tänä aamuna.
You can also use viimeksi in statements, when expressing when something happened last.
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| Milloin kävit viimeksi ulkomailla? | When were you last abroad? |
| Milloin imuroit viimeksi? | When did you last vacuum? |
| Mihin aikaan söit viimeksi? | At what time did you last eat? |
| Näin hänet viimeksi eilen. | I last saw him yesterday. |
| En muista milloin viimeksi nauroin. | I can’t remember when I last laughed. |
4. Viimein
You’re not likely to confuse the meaning of viimein with the meaning of the previous words. Viimein means “finally, at long last”. It’s perhaps slightly less common than vihdoin, which has the same meaning. Both vihdoin and viimein can be used in the same sentence as a way of expressing how long you’ve had to wait for something.
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| Ongelma on viimein ratkaistu. | The problem has finally been solved. |
| Hänen aikansa viimein koitti. | His time finally came. |
| Vaarallinen koira saatiin viimein kiinni. | The dangerous dog was finally captured. |
| Tehtävä oli vihdoin ja viimein valmis. | The exercise was finally done. |
| Pääsimme vihdoin ja viimein perille. | At long last we arrived at our destination. |
2. Viime, viimeinen and edellinen
Viime and viimeinen should not be confused with edellinen.
- The word viime refers to the previous occurrence from the moment of speaking
- The word edellinen refers to a past moment and the previous occurrence from the moment in time.
- The word viimeinen refers to the very last time something occurs.
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| Hän hävisi viime viikolla. | He disappeared last week. |
| Hän hävisi jo edellisellä viikolla. | He disappeared already the week before. |
| Hän hävisi vuoden viimeisellä viikolla. | He disappeared on the last week of the year. |
| Viime kerralla kävin Espanjassa. | Last time, I went to Spain. |
| Edellisellä kerralla kävin Espanjassa. | The previous time, I went to Spain. |
| Kävin Espanjassa viimeisen kerran. | I went to Spain for the last time. |
Do you understand the difference between viime, viimeinen, viimeksi and viimein better now?
What is the interpretation of the comparative and superlative of viimeinen? In a text I came across the term viimeisin (superlative) and I am really at a loss how to interpret that. Any ideas?
That’s a good question 🙂 Viimeisin is generally used for things that are published regularly, when you want to refer to the latest publication. Official sources can recommend against using this form.
However, you will still find it used these days. Viimeisin is generally considered a synonym for tuorein or uusin. For example, Lehden viimeisin/tuorein numero ilmestyi eilen. “The paper’s latest edition was published yesterday”, or “Lue viimeisimmät/uusimmat/tuoreimmat tiedot koronaviruksesta” “Read the latest information about the corona virus”.
In contrast, viimeisempi isn’t used at all.