Koira on ruskea.

The dog is brown.

Breakdown of Koira on ruskea.

• olla: to be
• koira: the dog
• ruskea: brown

Questions & Answers about Koira on ruskea.

Why is Koira in the nominative case?

In Finnish, the subject of a sentence typically appears in the nominative case. Here, Koira is the subject of the sentence, so it remains in its basic, nominative form.

Why is ruskea also in the nominative case?

Ruskea is a predicate adjective describing Koira. In Finnish, a subject complement (predicate adjective or noun) matches the case of the subject when using the verb on (“is”), so it stays in the nominative case.

Could the sentence be rearranged to Ruskea on koira?

Although Finnish word order can be flexible, Koira on ruskea is the neutral form (Subject–Verb–Complement). You could technically place words differently for emphasis, but Ruskea on koira sounds unusual in normal speech and might imply a special emphasis on ruskea (“brown”).

What does on mean in this sentence?

On is the third-person singular form of the verb olla (“to be”). In this context, it corresponds to “is” in English, linking the subject to its descriptor.

How is the sentence pronounced?

The pronunciation could be broken down as:
• Koira → [KOI-rah] (with a trilled or tapped r)
• on → [on] (short o, as in “off”)
• ruskea → [ROOS-keh-ah] (the u is closer to “oo” in “book,” the r is trilled/tapped, and the final a is a clear open vowel).