Finnish

Verb

älkööt

1. (dated) The third-person plural form of the negation verb in imperative, may they not.

   • Juoskoot! ‎(“May they run!”) → Älkööt juosko! ‎(“May they not run!”)

Conjugation

• The negative verb has no infinitive form. The negative verb is conjugated only in person, not in tense or mood. (For the third person plural of the negative verb in the indicative, conditional and potential mood, see eivät.)

Usage notes

• Älkööt is used with a connegative form of the main verb, ending with -ko/-kö, identical to the form used with third-person singular, first-person plural and second-person plural.

• This form is quite often confused with älköön, which is the third-person singular form.

• The third person plural of the negative imperative is nowadays a bit old-fashioned so it, primarily, pertains to ceremonious, very formal, archaic, poetic or religious contexts – i.e., positive imperative of this person (Juoskoot!) is, as the speaker's subjective wish, more common than the negative (Älkööt juosko!).