Breakdown of Kello on tasan kaksitoista.
olla
to be
kello
watch / clock (the time)
kaksitoista
twelve
tasan
exactly
Questions & Answers about Kello on tasan kaksitoista.
How do you say 'it is' when telling the time?
You do not use a pronoun like 'it' in Finnish. Whenever you state the time, you use the phrase Kello on followed by the number. This literally translates to 'The clock is'.
How does the word tasan work in this sentence?
Tasan means exactly or sharp. When placed right before the number in a time expression, it emphasizes that the time is precisely on the dot, just like saying 'twelve o'clock sharp' in English.
How does kaksi turn into twelve (kaksitoista)?
In Finnish, numbers from 11 to 19 are formed by adding -toista to the base number 1 through 9. Because toista means 'of the second', kaksitoista literally translates as 'two of the second ten'.