Questions & Answers about Nainen on iloinen, koska uusi talo on halpa.
Why is there a comma before koska?
In Finnish, you must use a comma before koska (because) when it connects two complete thoughts that both have their own subject and verb. Since nainen on iloinen and uusi talo on halpa are both complete mini-sentences, the comma is required.
Could I start this sentence with koska?
Yes, you can! Just like in English, you can flip the order and say Koska uusi talo on halpa, nainen on iloinen. Notice that the comma simply moves to separate the two halves of the sentence.
Why don't the adjectives iloinen, uusi, and halpa have any special endings here?
These adjectives are describing the subjects nainen (woman) and talo (house). Because these subjects are singular and in their basic dictionary form (the nominative case), the adjectives describing them stay in their basic form as well.
Where are the words for 'the' in this Finnish sentence?
Finnish does not have articles like 'a' or 'the'. Depending on context, nainen can mean a woman or the woman. Here, the English translation uses 'the' because we are talking about a specific woman and a specific house.