Questions & Answers about Onneksi olkoon! Sinä voitit.
What is the literal meaning of 'Onneksi olkoon'?
Literally, it means 'Let it be for luck!' Onneksi is the word onni (luck or happiness) in the translative case, which shows what something becomes or is intended for. Olkoon means 'let it be.' Together, they form the standard Finnish way to say 'Congratulations!'.
Why does 'olkoon' look so different from the basic verb 'olla' (to be)?
Olkoon is a special command form (imperative) used for the third person ('he/she/it'). While you usually learn commands like ole ('be!') for 'you', olkoon commands an 'it' -- in this case, meaning 'let it be'. You mostly see this form in fixed expressions like this one.
I know the verb to win is 'voittaa'. Why does it only have one 't' in 'voitit'?
This is because of consonant gradation. When we add the past tense ending -i- and the personal ending -t, the syllable becomes closed. This forces the strong double consonant tt in voittaa to weaken to a single t in voitit.
Could I just say 'Voitit' without the word 'Sinä'?
Yes! Because the verb ending -t already tells us that 'you' did the action, dropping sinä is very common and completely natural. Keeping sinä here just adds a little extra emphasis to the fact that YOU won.
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