Verbs in the Finnish language can be divided into six main groups depending on the stem type, both for formal analysis and for teaching the language to non-native speakers. All six types have the same set of personal endings, but the stems assume different suffixes and undergo (slightly) different changes when inflected.

The article on Finnish language grammar has more about verbs and other aspects of Finnish grammar.

Tables of conjugation are given here for the regular verb, of type I puhua (to speak), as used in the formal, written language. Verb conjugation in the everyday spoken language is somewhat different.

The present, imperfect, perfect, and pluperfect correspond fairly well to English: 'speaks', 'spoke', 'has spoken', and 'had spoken', respectively or in the passive voice, 'it is spoken', 'it was spoken', 'it has been spoken', and 'it had been spoken'. The auxiliary verb ei used for negation, usually with the naked stem of the main verb but with the past participle in the negative imperfect. Finnish lacks a true future tense, so normally the present tense is used for future time as well.

The conditional mood corresponds mostly to 'would' or 'should' or to the past subjunctive in English. (Finnish lacks a subjunctive mood.) The potential mood is rather rare, and corresponds to 'may' or 'might' in English. The perfect forms of these moods are easily understood as 'would have', 'should have', 'might have', etc.

The first and third person imperative forms here correspond to English 'let us speak', 'let him not speak', 'let it not be spoken', etc. The perfect imperative is still valid, if somewhat awkward and contrived: as English 'let it (not) have been spoken'. The first person plural imperative puhukaamme sounds rather formal and archaic so in everyday speech, the passive present indicative, puhutaan, is used instead, but it may not quite be considered correct. There are many variations of the imperative forms: in old writings, one may also see the forms puhukaat or puhukaatte for the second person plural, puhukaan for the third person plural, or puhuttakaan for the passive. In the passive or third person, the imperative is sometimes used for the present or perfect subjunctive of other languages, a mood lacking in Finnish.

The present prospective and the imperfect prospective correspond best to 'I am to speak' and 'I was to speak' in English. It is not correct Finnish to use these tenses in the plural: the plural form of the present participle, puhuvat, would be confusing if used in this sense, as it resembles too closely the third person plural present indicative. Despite the apparently equivalent use of the present participle, the grammatical aspect of these tenses is prospective rather than continuous or progressive as in English.

Verbs of obligation such as täytyä, tarvita, pitää, and tulla, with the meanings 'must', 'need to', 'ought to', 'shall', respectively are often used in the agent form of construction in which the verb is not conjugated for person but is in the impersonal third person singular. Here