eivät

Usage notes

• The negative verb is used with the connegative form of the main verb. The indicative present connegative form is identical to the second-person singular imperative. The potential mood connegative ends in the marker for that mood, -ne-, and the conditional mood connegative ends in the marker for that mood, -isi-. In the indicative past, conditional past and potential past, the active past participle plural (ending -eet) is used. The connegative form of the main verb is always used without the personal suffix.

• Usage of eivät:

• Indicative:

• He näkevät. (They see.) -> He eivät näe. (They do not see.)
• He näkivät. (They saw.) -> He eivät nähneet. (They did not see.)
• He ovat nähneet. (They have seen.) -> He eivät ole nähneet. (They have not seen.)
• He olivat nähneet. (They had seen.) -> He eivät olleet nähneet. (They had not seen.)

• Conditional:

• He näkisivät. (They would see.) -> He eivät näkisi. (They would not see.)
• He olisivat nähneet. (They would have seen.) -> He eivät olisi nähneet. (They would not have seen.)

• Potential:

• He nähnevät. (They probably see.) -> He eivät nähne. (They probably do not see.)
• He lienevät nähneet. (They have probably seen.) -> He eivät liene nähneet. (They have probably not seen.)

Conjugation

• The negative verb has no infinitive form. The negative verb is the same with indicative, conditional and potential mood and, with those moods, it is conjugated only in person. (For the third-person plural of the negative verb in the imperative mood, see älkööt. An archaic optative mood has also a second-person singular form, ällös.)