Breakdown of Huvilan pihalla olisi iso uima-allas.
olla
to be
iso
big
piha
yard
huvila
the villa
uima-allas
the swimming pool
Questions & Answers about Huvilan pihalla olisi iso uima-allas.
How do we get olisi from the verb olla (to be)?
The conditional marker is -isi-. To add it, we take the verb stem. For olla, the stem is ole-. When we add -isi- to it, the e at the end of the stem drops out, giving us olisi. Because this is a "there would be" sentence, it uses the 3rd person singular form, which doesn't need any extra personal ending here.
Why does the sentence start with Huvilan pihalla (In the villa's yard) instead of the swimming pool?
This is an existential sentence (a "there is" or "there would be" sentence). In Finnish, these almost always start with the location (Huvilan pihalla), followed by the verb (olisi), and finally the new thing that exists there (iso uima-allas).
The translation says 'in the yard', but doesn't the -lla ending on pihalla mean 'on'?
Yes, literally it means 'on the villa's yard'. In Finnish, certain outdoor locations traditionally take the outer location cases (like -lla, meaning 'on' or 'at') rather than the inner ones (like -ssa, meaning 'in'). The word piha is a classic example of this rule.
What are the parts of the compound word uima-allas?
It is made of uima-, which is a form of the verb uida (to swim) used specifically for making compound words, and allas (pool or basin). So just like in English, it literally translates to 'swimming pool'.
Learn Huvilan pihalla olisi iso uima-allas and more in Finnish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free