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Questions & Answers about Sääntö on hyvä.
Why isn't there a word for "The" before sääntö?
Finnish doesn't have articles like "a", "an", or "the". The word sääntö can mean "a rule" or "the rule" depending on the context. We translate it as "The rule" here because the sentence is making a statement about a specific rule.
Notice the dots over the vowels in sääntö and hyvä. Is this because of a specific rule?
Yes, this is Finnish vowel harmony in action! A single Finnish word cannot mix front vowels (ä, ö, y) with back vowels (a, o, u). Because both of these words naturally contain front vowels, you will only see other front vowels or neutral vowels (i, e) inside them.
Does the adjective hyvä change depending on the word it describes?
Yes, adjectives in Finnish have to match the noun they describe. Because sääntö is in its basic dictionary form (singular and no special endings), the adjective hyvä is also in its basic, unchanged dictionary form.