Yö on rauhallinen ja kaunis.

to be

Breakdown of Yö on rauhallinen ja kaunis.

• ja: and
• kaunis: beautiful
• rauhallinen: peaceful
• yö: the night

Questions & Answers about Yö on rauhallinen ja kaunis.

How do I pronounce the word rau­hal­li­nen in the sentence?

You can break it down into syllables: rau-ha-lli-nen. The rau part rhymes with the English word “how,” but with a rolled R if possible. The ha sounds like “huh,” lli has a double L with a light rolling, and nen is pronounced like “nen” with an audible N.

Why does the sentence use on instead of another verb form?

On is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb olla (to be). In Finnish, on is used for both “he/she/it is” and “they are” in many contexts, so it covers the meaning of “is.”

Is yö always spelled with that ö character, and how is it pronounced?

Yes, ö is a standard letter in the Finnish alphabet. To pronounce it, round your lips slightly while making the e sound (like in the French “bleu”). Practicing with minimal pairs like ö / o can help distinguish it from other vowels.

Why do we use rauhallinen and kaunis in this form instead of something else?

They are attributive adjectives describing yö (night). In Finnish, if adjectives directly describe a noun in a sentence like this, they appear in the same case and number as the noun. Since yö is in the nominative singular, the adjectives rauhallinen and kaunis are also in the nominative singular form.

Is the word order flexible in Finnish or does Yö on rauhallinen ja kaunis always appear this way?

While Finnish word order can be somewhat flexible, this sentence is in a natural, straightforward form. You could rearrange it to emphasize a certain word or concept, but generally, Yö on rauhallinen ja kaunis is the most typical and neutral way to say it.