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Questions & Answers about Rinkka on raskas.
Why is there no word for the in Rinkka on raskas?
Finnish does not have articles like a, an, or the.
So Rinkka on raskas can mean the backpack is heavy or a backpack is heavy, depending on context. Finnish usually leaves that distinction to the situation rather than marking it with a separate word.
What is on here?
On is the third-person singular present tense of the verb olla, which means to be.
So:
- olla = to be
- on = is
Because rinkka is singular, Finnish uses on.
Why is rinkka in that form?
Rinkka is in the nominative singular, which is the basic dictionary form of the noun.
In this sentence, rinkka is the subject, and subjects are very often in the nominative in Finnish.
So:
- rinkka = basic form
- function in the sentence = subject
Why is raskas also in its basic form?