Katu on liukas.

to be

Breakdown of Katu on liukas.

• katu: the street
• liukas: slippery

Questions & Answers about Katu on liukas.

What is the literal translation of Katu on liukas?

It translates as "The street is slippery." In this sentence, katu means "street", on is the third-person singular present tense of olla (to be), and liukas means "slippery."

What grammatical structure is used in Katu on liukas?

The sentence follows a simple subject–copula–predicate structure. Katu is the subject in the nominative case, on serves as the copula (linking verb equivalent to "is" in English), and liukas is the adjective functioning as the predicate complement.

Why doesn’t the adjective liukas show any case ending or agree with katu?

In Finnish, when an adjective is used as a predicate complement after the copula, it typically remains in its base (nominative) form. This is why liukas does not carry any extra endings to agree with katu.

What role does the verb on play in this sentence?

The verb on is the present tense form of olla (to be) and functions as the linking element that connects the subject katu with its description liukas. It is equivalent to the English "is."

How could the sentence be modified to express that the street is very slippery?

You could intensify the adjective by adding an adverb. For example, Katu on todella liukas translates to "The street is very slippery," where todella functions similarly to the English "truly" or "very."

Is it possible to change the word order in this sentence, and if so, what might be the effect?

Finnish allows for relatively flexible word order because of its case system. Although Katu on liukas is the clearest and most natural order for a simple declarative sentence, rearranging the words (for example, placing liukas first) might be used for emphasis or stylistic effect. However, doing so could make the sentence sound less straightforward to a beginner.