-mme
See also: Appendix:Variations of "mme"
Finnish
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Etymology 1
[edit]From Proto-Finnic *-kma (< *-k-ma), from *-k (marker for the present tense) + *-ma (from Proto-Uralic). Form influenced by me, the first-person plural personal pronoun. In the past tense, there was originally -i- in place of -k- (*-ima > *-imë), but the present suffix has been generalized to all tenses and moods.[1]
Suffix
[edit]-mme
- (personal) Forms the first-person plural of verbs.
Usage notes
[edit]- Suffixed to the same stem that the first person singular has both in the present and the past tense, and in all moods.
- Colloquially, the indefinite person is used instead of the actual first person plural. See -an and -in.
Etymology 2
[edit]Formed from the second-person plural possessive ending -nne by replacing -nn- with -mm- seen in e.g. the verb ending above (etymology 1).[1] Replaced original Proto-Finnic *-mak, *-nak.
Suffix
[edit]-mme (appended to the (strong) vowel stem; the final -n of the genitive and illative singular and plural or the -t of the nominative plural is omitted)
- (possessive) First-person plural possessive suffix used with or without meidän (genitive of the personal pronoun me): our
- (meidän) kirjamme ― our book
- (possessive) Appended to a genitive-requiring postposition that is after or without meidän: us
- (possessive) Used in a participle structure replacing an että clause, preceded by a verb expressing e.g. telling, claiming, asserting, confirming, thinking, wish, desire, seeming, when the clauses have the same subject "we"; appended to the active present participle in genitive singular when the action is concurrent with the main clause.
- (possessive) Used in a participle structure replacing an että clause, preceded by a verb expressing e.g. telling, claiming, asserting, confirming, thinking, wish, desire, seeming, when the clauses have the same subject "we"; appended to the active past participle in genitive singular when the said/alleged (etc.) action antedates the main clause.
- (possessive) Used in a shortened sentence expressing concurrent actions when the clauses have the same subject "we", appended to the inessive of the active second infinitive.
- Tehdessämme läksyjämme (me) kuulimme laukauksen ulkoa.
- (While) doing our homework, we heard a shot from outside.
- (possessive) Used in a shortened sentence expressing subsequent actions when the clauses have the same subject "we", appended to the partitive of the passive past participle singular.
- Tehtyämme läksymme (me) kuulimme laukauksen ulkoa.
- (After) having done / After doing our homework, we heard a shot from outside.
- (possessive) Used in a final shortened sentence expressing "in order to do" when the clauses have the same subject "we", appended to the long first infinitive.
- Tehdäksemme läksymme hyvin (me) menimme hiljaiseen huoneeseen.
- (In order) to do our homework well, we went into a quiet room.
- (possessive) Used in some adverbs, when the clause has the subject "we".
- (possessive) Always appended to a noun in the comitative case when the clause has the subject "we".
Usage notes
[edit]- The possessive suffix -mme is compulsory in standard Finnish. In standard Finnish, the genitive form of the corresponding personal pronoun me before the main word can be omitted. In colloquial Finnish, the suffix -mme is very rare and only the genitive form meidän (or its colloquial or dialectal variants) is used before the main word.
- The shortened sentences — except for the participle structures — pertain mainly to standard Finnish, not to spoken Finnish. It is also to be noticed that the shortened clauses are never separated from the main clauses with a comma.