Finnish

(index pi)

Verb

pitää

1. (transitive + elative) To like, be fond of.

   Minä pidän appelsiineista.

   I like oranges.

   ~ + elative enemmän (kuin + elative) = to prefer something (to something), be fonder of something than of something.

   Pidän omenoista enemmän kuin appelsiineista.

   I prefer apples to oranges.

2. (transitive + partitive + essive) To consider (to be), to assess, to see as

   Minä pidän ihmisiä vihamielisinä

   I consider people to be hostile.

3. (transitive, impersonal) genitive + 3rd-pers. singular + infinitive = to have (to do); (in conditional mood) should (do), ought (to do), be supposed (to do), would have (to do).

   Sinun pitää mennä töihin.

   You have to go to work.

   Meidän pitäisi mennä töihin.

   We should go to work.

4. (transitive, + partitive) To hold, grasp, grip.

   Minä voin pitää laukkuasi.

   I can hold your bag.

5. (transitive, + elative + kiinni) To hold onto.

   Minä voin pitää laukustasi kiinni.

   I can hold onto your bag.

6. (transitive, + genitive-accusative) To keep, take.

   Pidän tämän sisiliskon.

   I will keep this lizard.

7. (transitive, + partitive) To keep (an animal).

   Korkeasaaressa pidetään monenlaisia eläimiä.

   Many types of animals are kept in Korkeasaari Zoo.

8. (transitive) Used in very many collocations with nouns, translated often into "engage in", "have", "do", "transact", "pursue", "conduct", "carry out" "keep up", "maintain", "lead/teach" etc.

   Hän piti kuulustelua syytetylle.

   S/he was conducting an interrogation of the accused.

   Pidän SAP-kurssia.

   I teach a SAP course.

Usage notes

• (to have to:) Täytyä expresses absolute necessity to do something, whereas pitää does not have such an unconditional nuance as täytyä.
• (in collocations) Pitää is quite synonymous with käydä, although pitää has a nuance with the subject being not such an active part in the activity and he/she being more of a supervisor rather than an equal participant in the activity.

Conjugation

Synonyms

• (to like): tykätä

Antonyms

• (to like): inhota, vihata

Derived terms

Anagrams

• päitä, täipä

Votic

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *pitädäk.

Verb

pitää ‎(first-person singular present piän, first-person singular past piin)

1. to have to, to be required to, must
2. to be necessary
3. to hold, to grasp
4. to hold, to keep

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

References

• "pitää" in Vadja keele sõnaraamat