Word
Kello on nyt yksi.
Meaning
It is one o'clock now.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Kello on nyt yksi.
Why isn't there a word for "It" in the Finnish sentence, like in the English "It is one o'clock"?
Finnish doesn't use a "dummy" subject like "it" for telling the time or the weather. Instead of saying "It is," Finns literally say Kello on... (The clock is...). You don't need a word for "it" at all!
I learned that kello means "clock" or "watch". Does it also mean "o'clock"?
Yes! When telling the time, kello translates best to "the time" or "o'clock". The literal translation of this sentence is "The clock is now one."
Is the number yksi in its basic dictionary form here?
Yes, it is! When you are saying what the time is right now on the hour, you just use the basic form of the number. For example, "two o'clock" would simply be kello on kaksi.
Could I move the word nyt to the beginning or end of the sentence?
Yes, Finnish word order is quite flexible. Nyt kello on yksi or Kello on yksi nyt are also perfectly correct, though putting nyt in the middle sounds very natural.