Question 1

Literally, Ole hyvä translates to 'be good.' Why does it mean 'Here you are' in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Ole hyvä is a very common set phrase in Finnish. When you are handing something to someone, like serving them food, you say Ole hyvä. In this context, it translates best to 'Here you are' or 'Here you go' in English.

Question 2

I thought Ole hyvä meant 'You're welcome.' Can it mean both?

Accepted Answer

Yes! If someone says kiitos (thank you), you reply with ole hyvä (you are welcome). But as you see in this sentence, it is also exactly what you say when offering or giving something to someone.

Question 3

What form of the verb olla (to be) is Ole?

Accepted Answer

Ole is the command form, used when speaking to one person informally. So Ole hyvä is literally a gentle command telling the person to 'be good.' If you were speaking to a group of people, you would say Olkaa hyvä instead.

Question 4

There is no word for 'the' before Ruoka. How do we know it means 'The food' and not just 'Food'?

Accepted Answer

Finnish does not have articles like 'a' or 'the'. The word ruoka can mean 'food', 'a food', or 'the food'. We know it means 'the food' here simply from the context because they are talking about the specific meal they just finished cooking.

Ole hyvä! Ruoka on valmis.

Breakdown of Ole hyvä! Ruoka on valmis.

Questions & Answers about Ole hyvä! Ruoka on valmis.

Learn Ole hyvä! Ruoka on valmis and more in Finnish