Questions & Answers about Suomi on kaunis kieli.
Why is Suomi capitalized here?
In Finnish, Suomi (the name of the country Finland) is always capitalized. Just like in English, proper nouns (e.g., countries, names of people, etc.) are written with a capital letter.
How do I conjugate on in other forms?
On is the third-person singular form of the verb “to be” in Finnish. The full present tense conjugation is:
• Olen (I am)
• Olet (you are)
• On (he/she/it is)
• Olemme (we are)
• Olette (you all/formal you are)
• Ovat (they are).
Why is kaunis in its basic form here?
Since it’s describing Suomi in the simplest way (Suomi on kaunis kieli), there’s no need to inflect kaunis. Adjectives generally agree in case and number with the noun they describe, but here in the nominative case, “kaunis” remains in its basic form to match ”kieli”, also in the nominative.
Is kieli used only to mean "language," or can it have other meanings?
Kieli most commonly translates to “language.” It can also mean “tongue” physically, as in the part of the body. In different contexts, it can appear in various compound words or idiomatic expressions, but in general usage, it means “language.”
Do I need to use “it” in Finnish to refer to kieli?