Passive in Past Tenses in Finnish

Overview

At the B1 level, you expand the passive voice from the present tense to past tenses — the past passive (imperfekti), passive perfect, and passive past perfect. These forms are essential for narrating past events impersonally, describing what was done without naming who did it, and (in spoken Finnish) for expressing "we did" in the past.

The past passive forms follow consistent patterns that build on the present passive you already know. Each tense adds its own marker to the passive stem. Understanding these forms is crucial for reading Finnish texts about history, news, and any past events described from an impersonal perspective.

How It Works

Past passive (passive imperfekti)

Formation: passive stem + -tiin/-ttiin

Verb	Present passive	Past passive	English
puhua	puhutaan	puhuttiin	was spoken
syödä	syödään	syötiin	was eaten
mennä	mennään	mentiin	was gone
tulla	tullaan	tultiin	was come
tehdä	tehdään	tehtiin	was done
lukea	luetaan	luettiin	was read

Passive perfect

on + passive past participle (-tu/-ty)

Verb	Passive perfect	English
puhua	on puhuttu	has been spoken
syödä	on syöty	has been eaten
tehdä	on tehty	has been done
rakentaa	on rakennettu	has been built

Passive past perfect

oli + passive past participle (-tu/-ty)

Verb	Passive past perfect	English
puhua	oli puhuttu	had been spoken
tehdä	oli tehty	had been done
päättää	oli päätetty	had been decided

Negative forms

Tense	Formation	Example
Past negative	ei + passive past participle	ei puhuttu (was not spoken)
Perfect negative	ei ole + passive past participle	ei ole puhuttu (has not been spoken)
Past perfect negative	ei ollut + passive past participle	ei ollut puhuttu (had not been spoken)

Spoken Finnish: passive past = "we" past

Standard "we"	Spoken passive	English
Me menimme kauppaan.	Me mentiin kauppaan.	We went to the store.
Me söimme ravintolassa.	Me syötiin ravintolassa.	We ate at the restaurant.
Me teimme sen yhdessä.	Me tehtiin se yhdessä.	We did it together.

Examples in Context

Finnish	English	Note
Talo rakennettiin vuonna 1920.	The house was built in 1920.	Past passive
Asiasta päätettiin kokouksessa.	The matter was decided in the meeting.	Past passive, formal
Mentiin sinne eilen.	We went there yesterday.	Spoken "we"
Onko työ tehty?	Has the work been done?	Passive perfect question
Laki oli säädetty jo aiemmin.	The law had been enacted earlier.	Passive past perfect
Ruoka syötiin nopeasti.	The food was eaten quickly.	Past passive
Ei oltu päätetty vielä.	It had not been decided yet.	Past perfect negative
Suomessa on puhuttu suomea satoja vuosia.	Finnish has been spoken in Finland for hundreds of years.	Passive perfect
Tehtiin hyvä päätös.	We made a good decision. / A good decision was made.	Ambiguous: spoken "we" or impersonal
Kirje oli lähetetty maanantaina.	The letter had been sent on Monday.	Passive past perfect

Common Mistakes

Confusing past passive with active past

• Wrong: Using puhuttiin and puhui interchangeably
• Right: Hän puhui = He/she spoke (active). Puhuttiin = It was spoken / We spoke (passive).
• Why: The active past names a specific agent; the passive past does not.

Wrong negative passive form

• Wrong: Ei puhuttiin. (combining affirmative and negative markers)
• Right: Ei puhuttu.
• Why: In negative passive, use the passive past participle (-ttu/-tty) after ei, not the affirmative past passive form (-ttiin).

Applying the wrong past participle

• Wrong: On puhunut (active participle in passive construction)
• Right: On puhuttu (passive participle)
• Why: The passive perfect uses the passive past participle (-tu/-ty), not the active past participle (-nut/-nyt).

Usage Notes

The passive past tenses are extremely common in both written and spoken Finnish. In newspapers and formal writing, they provide impersonal descriptions of events. In spoken Finnish, they serve as the standard "we" past tense, replacing the standard 1st person plural past forms.

The spoken "we" usage (me mentiin, me tehtiin) is so universal that standard forms (me menimme, me teimme) can sound stiff or overly formal in casual conversation.

Practice Tips

1. Historical narration: Describe past events using passive: Talo rakennettiin vuonna... Koulu perustettiin... Laki säädettiin...
2. "We" past in spoken: Practice retelling your weekend using spoken passive: Me mentiin kauppaan. Syötiin ravintolassa. Käytiin elokuvissa.
3. Three tenses: Take one verb and form all passive tenses: puhutaan (present), puhuttiin (past), on puhuttu (perfect), oli puhuttu (past perfect).

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Passive Voice — the present passive forms