olla + Adjective

Describing with Olla

Level 1

Subject + olla + Adjective. The adjective's ending changes based on whether the subject is a single item, a mass noun, or plural.

How It Works

To describe a subject in Finnish, you use the verb olla (to be) followed by an adjective. The adjective ending depends on the type of subject and the concept of divisibility (jaollisuus):

1. Singular Countable Subjects: Use the nominative (dictionary form) for indivisible wholes.
Talo on iso. (The house is big.)

2. Mass Nouns, Abstract Nouns & Verbal Nouns: Use the partitive singular (-a/-ä, -ta/-tä) for divisible things. This applies to substances (water, sand), abstract concepts (life), and verbal nouns (swimming, traveling).
Kahvi on kuumaa. (Coffee is hot.)
Uiminen on hauskaa. (Swimming is fun.)

3. Plural Subjects & Pronouns: Generally use the plural partitive (-ja/-jä, -ita/-itä). This includes plural personal pronouns (me, te, he).
Talot ovat isoja. (The houses are big.)
Me olemme iloisia. (We are happy.)
Exception: If the plural subject is conceived as a definite, bounded, or complete whole, use the nominative plural (-t).
Omenat ovat kypsät. (The apples are ripe.)

4. Infinitive Subjects: When a sentence starts with 'It is...' followed by an adjective and an infinitive verb, the partitive is the general pattern, but several common adjectives allow both cases.
On hauska uida. / On hauskaa uida. (It is fun to swim.)

5. Singular Pronouns: For singular demonstrative pronouns (se, tämä, tuo), the case of the adjective depends entirely on whether the pronoun refers to a countable noun (nominative) or a mass noun (partitive).
Tämä on hyvä. (This [book/car] is good.) vs Tämä on hyvää. (This [coffee/soup] is good.)

6. Describing Part of an Item: An expression such as sisältä does not automatically make the predicate partitive: Omena on sisältä vihreä (The apple is green inside). The subject still names one countable apple.

7. Negation: The case of the adjective does not change in negative sentences.
Talo ei ole iso. (The house is not big.)

With infinitives, compare On mielenkiintoista uida meressä with On hauska ~ hauskaa uida. Adjectives differ: hyvä normally stays nominative in On hyvä levätä. Learn these common combinations rather than assuming every adjective freely alternates. With plural subjects, definiteness alone does not force nominative: Nuo kukat ovat kauniita still describes the individual flowers distributively.

Examples (6)

  1. Tämä kirja on mielenkiintoinen.

    This book is interesting.

    Word by Word: This book is interesting.

    Since 'book' is a single countable object, the adjective 'mielenkiintoinen' stays in the nominative form.

  2. Tee on jo kylmää.

    The tea is already cold.

    Word by Word: Tea is already cold.

    Tea is a mass noun (uncountable), so the adjective 'kylmä' takes the partitive ending '-ä'.

  3. Uiminen on hauskaa.

    Swimming is fun.

    Word by Word: Swimming is fun.

    An activity expressed by uiminen is described here with a partitive adjective, hauskaa.

  4. Nuo kukat ovat kauniita.

    Those flowers are beautiful.

    Word by Word: Those flowers are beautiful.

    The partitive plural kauniita describes the individual flowers distributively.

  5. Sukat ovat märät.

    The socks are wet.

    Word by Word: Socks are wet.

    For definite, bounded, or complete wholes, including 'natural pairs' like socks, we use the nominative plural (-t) instead of the partitive.

  6. Kahvi ei ole kuumaa.

    The coffee is not hot.

    Word by Word: Coffee not is hot.

    Negation does not change the case of the adjective; it remains in the partitive because coffee is a mass noun.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative form for mass nouns.

    Different MeaningKahvi on kuuma.
    Kahvi on kuumaa.

    For coffee understood as a substance, kuumaa is the normal form. Kuuma may occur when a particular serving is treated as a whole, so the difference concerns interpretation, not an absolute ban.

  • Using the nominative plural for general plural descriptions.

    Different MeaningAutot ovat uudet.
    Autot ovat uusia.

    In general descriptions of plural subjects, the adjective must be in the plural partitive (-ia/-ja). The nominative plural (-t) is reserved for definite, bounded, or complete wholes, such as a specific complete set or 'natural pairs'.

  • Changing the adjective case just because the sentence is negative.

    Talo ei ole isoa.
    Talo ei ole iso.

    Unlike objects, predicate adjectives do not change case when negated. If it was nominative in the positive sentence (Talo on iso), it stays nominative in the negative (Talo ei ole iso).

How It Connects

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olla + AdjectiveLevel 1Describing with Olla

Learn This First

To use adjectives with the verb 'olla', you need to know how to conjugate 'olla' itself. Additionally, because Finnish predicate adjectives change based on the number of the subject (using the nominative plural for the subject and the partitive for the plural adjective), you must understand both plural formation and the partitive case.

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olla