Hän on mies.

to be

Breakdown of Hän on mies.

• hän: he
• mies: the man

Questions & Answers about Hän on mies.

Why does hän sometimes translate to both "he" or "she" in English?

In Finnish, hän is a gender-neutral third-person pronoun, so it can mean either "he" or "she" depending on context. Finnish doesn’t use a different pronoun for masculine or feminine.

How do you pronounce hän?

The vowel ä is similar to the "a" in "cat," but slightly shorter. The final n is pronounced clearly, without nasalizing the vowel.

Why is there no article in Hän on mies like there is in English ("He is a man")?

Finnish doesn’t use articles (like "a" or "the"). When you see Hän on mies, it’s just the normal Finnish way of saying "He is a man."

Is on the only form of the verb "to be" in Finnish, or are there others?

On is the third-person singular form of the verb olla ("to be"). Other forms include olen (I am), olet (you are), olemme (we are), etc.

Could hän also mean "it"?

Generally, hän is used for people (or sometimes beloved pets). For most non-human objects, Finnish uses the pronoun se, which can be translated as "it."