Finnish for busy people

Total Object Verbs – Genitive Object – Verb List

April 13, 2022
April 26, 2022
 uusikielemme

This article lists object verbs that are generally used with a total object. It’s a partial copy of this page, but with added information specifically about total object verbs.

I have compiled this list due to the frequent questions I get for a list of total object verbs. There are plenty of lists of partitive verbs online, but it’s hard to find any lists for verbs that usually get a genitive case object. As a second language learner myself, I understand the need to have lists to rely on.

So, while I give you this list, you should realize that – in my opinion – you should focus on learning which verbs are partitive verbs. Then, you can consider other verbs to not be partitive verbs. I think it’s partitive verbs in particular that are the problem – not these other verbs. Take the verb ehdottaa for example. This verb is a partitive verb, as you can see in the sentence “Ehdotan ratkaisua” (I suggest a solution). Once you’ve learned about the total object, you might be tempted to think “I’m suggesting one solution, the whole solution” and use the genitive case. Mistakes like that can be avoided by studying partitive verbs.

Read more about the basics of the object before you look into this article more closely.

1. Three types of object verbs

We can roughly divide object verbs into three types.

1. Verbs that usually require the partitive case

  • Keywords: irresultative, unbounded, imperfective, continuous, repetitive
  • These verbs generally don’t cause a change in the nature or the location of the object.

2. Verbs that usually require the genitive case

  • Keywords: resultative, bounded, perfective, limited, instantaneous, immediate, momentary, endpoint
  • These verbs generally express actions that take no time at all.

3. Verbs that can often get both a partitive and a genitive case objects

  • Keywords: process vs. end result, ongoing vs. finished, current vs. future
  • These verbs utilize the partitive and the genitive in order to express whether the action is currently happening, already completed, or whether the intent is the completion of the action.

In this article, you can find lists of the two latter categories. For partitive verbs, please check this list.

2. Verbs that usually require a genitive case object

These verbs will have the genitive case when all of the following criteria are true at the same time:

  1. In affirmative sentences (e.g. Laitan kirjan pöydälle). Negative sentences will get the partitive case (e.g. En laita kirjaa pöydälle).
  2. When the object is a countable, complete thing. We will use the partitive case for uncountable objects (e.g. Laitan ruokaa lautaselle) and abstract objects (e.g. Laitan energiaa vain tärkeisiin asioihin).
  3. When the verb is inflected in the minä, sinä, hän, me, te or he form (e.g. Me laitamme kirjan pöydälle). The basic form will be used for the imperative mood (e.g. Laita kirja pöydälle!), in necessity sentences (e.g. Minun täytyy laittaa kirja pöydälle) and passive sentences (e.g. Kirja laitetaan pöydälle).

In the following table, I’m giving both a present tense and a past tense example. In my translations, I’m using a mix of both the present tense (e.g. I give) and the future tense (e.g. I will give). The context of the actual situation should guide you in how to interpret them. Depending on the context, these sentences could also have definite and indefinite pronouns (ie. “a” and “the”).

Please note that there can always be some specific situation where verbs do not behave as is most typical for them. You will have to get more practice and exposure to Finnish to slowly learn when it is possible to deviate from the typical usage of these verbs.

Finnish Sentences Translations
aiheuttaa Aiheutan vahingon. Aiheutin ongelman. I cause the damage. I caused the problem.
aloittaa Aloitan tehtävän. Aloitin keskustelun. I’ll start the task. I started the conversation.
antaa Annan kirjan sinulle. Annoin lahjan Arille. I’ll give you the book. I gave Ari the present.
asettaa Asetan kirjan hyllyyn. Asetin yhden ehdon. I put the book on the shelf. I set one condition.
avata Avaan ikkunan. Avasin oven. I’ll open the window. I opened the door.
hajottaa Hajotan puhelimen. Hajotin television. I’ll bust the phone. I broke the television.
hakea Haen lääkärin. Hain sanomalehden. I’ll get the doctor. I went to get the newspaper.
halkaista Halkaisen hedelmän. Halkaisin omenan. I cut the fruit in two. I split the apple in two.
havaita Havaitsen muutoksen. Havaitsin reiän. I notice a change. I found the hole.
herättää Herätän vanhan miehen. Herätin hänet. I wake up the old man. I woke her up.
huomata Huomaan virheen. Huomasin Liisan heti. I notice the mistake. I noticed Liisa right away.
hylätä Hylkkään miehen. Hylkäsin hänet. I reject the man. I abandonded him.
hyväksyä Hyväksyn ehdon. Hyväksyin ehdotuksen. I accept the condition. I accepted the proposal.
hävitä Häviän ottelun. Hävisin korttipelin. I’ll lose the match. I lost the card game.
irrottaa Irrotan laturin. Irrotin lapun. I unplug the charger. I removed the note.
julkaista Julkaisen uuden videon. Julkaisin kirjan. I publish a new video. I published a book.
jättää Jätän tupakoinnin. Jätin Timon. I’m giving up smoking. I left Timo.
kaapata Kaappaan lentokoneen. kaappasin vallan. I’m hijacking an airplane. I seized power.
kadottaa Kadotan lompakon. Kadotin kirjan. I lose the wallet. I lost the book.
karkottaa Karkotan hyökkääjän. Karkotin karhun. I drive the attacker away. I repelled the bear.
katkaista Katkaisen siltä pään. Katkaisin langan. I’ll cut its head off. I cut the wire.
keksiä Keksin ratkaisun. Keksin keinon. I invented a solution. I thought of a way.
keskeyttää Keskeytän pelin. Keskeytin puheen. I interrupt the game. I interrupted the speech.
kiinnittää Kiinnitän lapun ovelle. Kiinnitin tangon. I attach a note to the door. I attached the rod.
kuulla Kuulen äänen. Kuulin huhun. I hear the voice/sound. I heard a rumor.
lainata Lainaan kirjan. Lainasin kirjan sinulle. I borrow the book. I lent the book to you.
laittaa Laitan kirjan tänne. Laitoin lasin pois. I’ll put the book here. I put the glass away.
lopettaa Lopetan tehtävän. Lopetin etsinnän. I quit the exercise. I stopped the search.
lähettää Lähetän kirjeen. Lähetin paketin sinulle. I send a letter. I sent the package to you.
läpäistä Läpäisen tentin. Läpäisin näkötestin. I will pass the exam. I passed the vision test.
löytää Löydän avaimen. Löysin työpaikan. I will find the key. I found a job.
maksaa Maksan laskun. Maksoin vesimaksun. I pay the bill. I paid the water fee.
muistaa Muistan tapahtuman. Muistin sen. I remember the event. I remembered it.
myydä Myyn tämän auton. Myin vanhan pöydän. I’m selling this car. I sold the old table.
nielaista Nielaisen purkan. Nielaisin tabletin. I swallow the gum. I swallowed the pill.
nähdä Näen talon. Näin Pekan kadulla. I see the house. I saw Pekka on the street.
omaksua Omaksun taidon. Omaksuin asenteen. I learn the skill. I adopted the attitude.
omistaa Omistan tuon kirjan. Omistin rantatontin. I own that book. I owned a beach property.
ottaa Otan omenan hyllyltä. Otin kirjan. I take an apple from the shelf. I took the book.
ostaa Ostan kaapin IKEAsta. Ostin pyörän. I buy a cupboard from IKEA. I bought a bike.
palauttaa Palautan kirjan. Palautin tehtävän. I return the book. I turned in the assignment.
paljastaa Paljastan salaisuuden. Paljastin totuuden. I’ll reveal the secret. I revealed the truth.
palkata Palkkaan siivoojan. Palkkasin lakimiehen. I’ll hire a cleaner. I hired a lawyer.
panna Panen kirjan laukkuun. Panin lapun oveen. I put a book in the bag. I put a note on the door.
parkkeerata Parkkeeraan auton. Parkkeerasin rekan. I’ll park the car. I parked the truck.
peittää Peitän peilin. Peitin tatuoinnin. I’ll cover the mirror. I covered the tattoo.
pelastaa Pelastan Arin. Pelastin maailman. I’ll save Ari. I saved the world.
piilottaa Piilotan pullon. Piilotin totuuden heiltä. I hide the bottle. I hid the truth from them.
poimia Poimin kukan. Poimin sienen. I pick the flower. I picked the mushroom.
poistaa Poistan tahran. Poistin tiedoston. I’ll remove the stain. I removed the file.
pudottaa Pudotan kupin. Pudotin puhelimen. I drop the cup. I dropped the phone.
pysäyttää Pysäytän auton. Pysäytin miehen. I stop the car. I stopped the man.
pysäköidä Pysäköin auton. Pysäköin pyörän. I park the car. I parked the bike.
pyyhkiä Pyyhin pöydän. Pyyhin taulun rätillä. I wipe the table. I wiped the board with a rag.
päästää Päästän Arin sisään. Päästin kissan ulos. I will let Ari in. I let the cat out.
räjäyttää Räjäytän sillan. Räjäytin pommin. I blow up the bridge. I detonated the bomb.
saada Saan lahjan kaverilta. Sain sen ilmaiseksi. I get a present from a friend. I got it for free.
sammuttaa Sammutan moottorin. Sammutin tulipalon. I switched off the engine. I extinguished a fire.
sivuuttaa Sivuutan viestin. Sivuutin väitteen. I ignore the message. I disregarded the claim.
sulkea Suljen ikkunan. Suljin myymälän. I’ll close the window. I closed the store.
sytyttää Sytytän tulipalon. Sytytin tulen takkaan. I’ll start a fire. I lit a fire in the fireplace.
sytyttää Sytytän lampun. Sytytin kynttilän. I turned on the lamp. I lit the candle.
tajuta Tajuan syyn. Tajusin vaaran. I understand the cause. I realized the danger.
tappaa Tapan hämähäkin. Tapoin miehen. I’ll kill the spider. I killed the man.
tarkistaa Tarkistan saldon. Tarkistin varauksen. I check the balance. I checked the reservation.
tavata Tapaan Liisan. Tapasin presidentin. I meet Liisa. I met the president.
tietää Tiedän paikan. Tiesin vastauksen. I know the place. I knew the answer.
tilata Tilaan taksin. Tilasin putkimiehen. I’ll order a taxi. I ordered a plumber.
toistaa Toistan kysymyksen. Toistin sanan. I repeat the question. I repeated the word.
torjua Torjun hyökkääjän. Torjuin iskun. I repel the attacker. I resisted the blow.
toteuttaa Toteutan toiveen. Toteutin suunnitelman. I fulfill the wish. I implemented the plan.
tuhota Tuhoan maailman. Tuhosin kaiken. I’ll destroy the world. I destroyed everything.
tunnistaa Tunnistan Liisan. Tunnistin rikollisen. I recognize Liisa. I recognized the criminal.
tunnustaa Tunnustan rikoksen. Tunnustin synnin. I confess to the crime. I confessed to the sin.
tuntea Tunnen Liisan. Tunsin tuon miehen hyvin. I know Liisa. I knew that man well.
unohtaa Unohdan kaiken. Unohdin tapaamisen. I forget everything. I forgot the appointment.
valita Valitsen elämän. Valitsin omenan. I choose life. I chose an apple.
vapauttaa Vapautan vangin. Vapautin aktivistin. I free the prisoner. I freed the activist.
varastaa Varastan omenan. Varastin kirjan. I steal the apple. I stole the book.
väärentää Väärennän / Väärensin allekirjoituksen. I forge / forged the signature.
viedä Vien kirjeen perille. Vein Arin kotiin. I will deliver the letter. I took Ari home.
voittaa Voitan kilpailun. Voitin tappelun. I win the competition. I won the fight.
yllättää Yllätän Arin kukilla. Yllätin varkaan. I surprise Ari with flowers. I surprised the thief.

3. Verbs that can often get both a partitive and a genitive case objects

Just like in the previous table, we’re dealing with examples where the following criteria are all true at the same time:

  1. The sentence is affirmative.
  2. The object is a countable, complete thing.
  3. The verb is inflected in the minä, sinä, hän, me, te or he form.

The verbs in this section differ from the previous list because they will have a partitive case object when the action is currently happening, or will be only partially finished. If the action is completely finished, you will use the genitive case, as you can see in the table below.

I’m giving both a present tense and a past tense example. The translations are only one possible version: rather than just saying “I’m installing”, we could also say “I install” depending on the context. I decided to use “I’m x:ing” as a translation because it’s the easiest way for me to show here that the action has not been completed yet. Depending on the context, these sentences could have definite and indefinite pronouns (ie. “a” and “the”).

Please note that there can always be some specific situation where verbs do not behave as is most typical for them. You will have to get more practice and exposure to Finnish to slowly learn when it is possible to deviate from the typical usage of these verbs.

Verb Examples Translations
asentaa Asennan lattiaa. Asensin sovelluksen. I’m installing a floor. I installed the app.
aurata Auraan katua. Aurasin tien. I’m snow plowing the street. I snow plowed the road.
kaivaa Kaivan kuoppaa. Kaivoin haudan. I’m digging a hole. I dug the grave.
katsoa Katson TV-sarjaa. Katsoin elokuvan. I’m watching a TV series. I watched the movie.
kirjoittaa Kirjoitan kirjaa. Kirjoitin kirjeen. I’m writing a book. I wrote a letter.
koota Kokoan palapeliä. Kokosin palapelin. I’m putting together a puzzle. I made the puzzle.
korjata Korjaan autoa. Korjasin pyörän. I’m fixing the car. I fixed the bike.
kuoria Kuorin munaa. Kuorin munan. I’m peeling an egg. I peeled the egg.
kutoa Kudon sukkaa. Kudoin kaulaliinan. I’m knitting a sock. I knitted a scarf.
kypsentää Kypsennän pihviä. Kypsensin puuron. I’m cooking a steak. I cooked the porridge.
lakaista Lakaisen lattiaa. Lakaisin lattian. I’m sweeping the floor. I swept the floor.
leipoa Leivon leipää. Leivoin tämän leivän. I’m baking bread. I baked this bread.
lukea Luen kirjaa. Luin kirjeen. I’m reading the book. I read the letter.
lämmittää Lämmitän saunaa. Lämmitin saunan. I’m heating the sauna. I heated the sauna.
maalata Maalaan seinää. Maalasin maiseman. I’m painting the wall. I painted the landscape.
muurata Muuraan savupiippua. Muurasin takan. I’m building a chimney. I built a brick fireplace.
neuloa Neulon villapuseroa. Neuloin sukan. I’m knitting a wool sweater. I knitted a sock.
ohittaa Ohitan rekkaa. Ohitin auton. I’m overtaking the truck. I passed the car.
ommella Ompelen mekkoa. Ompelin verhon itse. I’m sewing a dress. I sewed the curtain myself.
pestä Pesen parvekkeen lattiaa. Pesin takin. I’m washing the balcony floor. I washed the jacket.
piirtää Piirrän rakennusta. Piirsin kesämökin. I’m drawing a building. I drew a summer cottage.
pukea Puen lasta. Puin takin päälle. I’m dressing the child. I put on the coat.
purkaa Puran taloa. Purin teltan. I’m demolishing the house. I took apart the tent.
pyyhkiä Pyyhin lattiaa. Pyyhin pöydän. I’m wiping the floor. I wiped the table.
rakentaa Rakennan taloa. Rakensin tornin. I’m building a house. I built a tower.
remontoida Remontoin taloa. Remontoin keittiön. I’m renovating the house. I renovated the kitchen.
siivota Siivoan olohuonetta. Siivosin vessan. I’m cleaning the living room. I cleaned the toilet.
silittää Silitän paitaa. Silitin puseron. I’m ironing a shirt. I ironed the blouse.
syödä Syön aamupalaa. Söin omenan. I’m eating breakfast. I ate the apple.
säveltää Sävellän biisiä. Sävelsin oopperan. I’m composing a song. I composed an opera.
tapetoida Tapetoin huonetta. Tapetoin seinän. I’m wallpapering the room. I wallpapered the wall.
tuulettaa Tuuletan keittiötä. Tuuletin huoneen. I’m airing the kitchen out. I aired the room out.
täyttää Täytän lasia. Täytin bensiinitankin. I’m filling the glass. I filled the gas tank.
valmistaa Valmistan ateriaa. Valmistin aterian. I’m preparing a meal. I prepared the meal.
tyhjentää Tyhjennän taloa. Tyhjensin lasin. I’m emptying the house. I emptied the glass.
virkata Virkkaan mattoa. Virkkasin pipon. I’m crocheting a rug. I crocheted a beanie.
värittää Väritän värityskirjaa. Väritin kuvan. I’m coloring a color book. I colored the picture.
napittaa Napitan paitaa. Napitin paidan. I’m buttoning the shirt. I buttoned the shirt.
ylittää Ylitän katua. Ylitin maaliviivan. I’m crossing the road. I crossed the finish line.

I hope this list of total object verbs is helpful. However, do remember that you’re probably going to be making more mistakes with partitive verbs than you are with these total object verbs. You should definitely read through these other articles:

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Object Sentences

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