Tämä vuosi on ollut täynnä muutoksia.

to be

Breakdown of Tämä vuosi on ollut täynnä muutoksia.

• tämä: this
• täynnä: full
• vuosi: the year
• muutos: the change

Questions & Answers about Tämä vuosi on ollut täynnä muutoksia.

Why is the sentence using the perfect tense (on ollut) instead of the simple past?

In Finnish, the perfect tense is often used to describe states or experiences that are relevant to the present. Since Tämä vuosi (“this year”) is considered an ongoing period rather than a completely finished past, using on ollut (“has been”) emphasizes that the changes experienced continue to have relevance now.

How is the perfect tense constructed in this sentence?

The perfect tense here is formed by combining the present tense of the auxiliary verb olla with its past participle. In this case, on is the present form of olla (“to be”), and ollut is its past participle. Together, on ollut translates to “has been.”

Why is the noun muutoksia in the partitive case?

In constructions like täynnä muutoksia (“full of changes”), Finnish typically requires the noun following certain adjectives (like täynnä) to be in the partitive case. This usage conveys the idea of an incomplete or non-exhaustive quantity, implying that the year was characterized by many changes rather than by a fixed, countable set.

What is the role of täynnä in this sentence?

Täynnä functions as a predicative adjective describing the state of the subject. It means “full of” and directly qualifies muutoksia. In the context of the sentence, it tells us that the year has been characterized by being full of changes.

How do the different elements of the sentence work together to express its meaning?

Each component contributes to the overall message:  • Tämä vuosi (“this year”) sets the temporal frame and acts as the subject.  • On ollut (“has been”) is the perfect form of olla, indicating a state that connects past events with the present.  • Täynnä muutoksia (“full of changes”) describes that state, with täynnä modifying the noun muutoksia (the partitive plural of muutos) to emphasize an ongoing, non-specific accumulation of changes.