Thursday, August 16, 2018

8. Is doing, will do

In English, you can either say
I do (if you do it always or sometimes)
I am doing (if you're doing it now) or
I will do (if you will do it in the future)

But in Finnish, these three are the same.
So as we learned, Minä katson, means I watch
But minä katson can also mean I am watching
And minä katson can also mean I will watch.
There is no difference in Finnish. To be doing now, to do sometimes, or to do in the future: it's all the same.

I am watching now. Minä katson nyt.
I watch sometimes. Minä katson joskus.
I will watch tomorrow. Minä katson huomenna.

The cat is sitting now. Kissa istuu nyt.
The cat sits sometimes. Kissa istuu joskus.
The cat will sit tomorrow. Kissa istuu huomenna.

You are dancing now. Tanssit nyt.
You dance sometimes. Tanssit joskus.
You will dance tomorrow.  Tanssit huomenna.

So a sentence like "tanssiiko hän?" can either mean:
Does he dance?
Does she dance?
Will he dance?
Will she dance?
Is he dancing?
or
Is she dancing?


The next lesson
9. Plural pronouns and verbs

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