Tässä on kahvi, ole hyvä.

to be

Breakdown of Tässä on kahvi, ole hyvä.

• kahvi: the coffee
• ole hyvä: please
• tässä: here

Questions & Answers about Tässä on kahvi, ole hyvä.

What does "Tässä on kahvi, ole hyvä." literally mean in English?

It literally translates as "Here is coffee, be good." However, because "ole hyvä" is an idiomatic expression, a more natural translation would be "Here's the coffee, here you go."

How is the sentence structured, and why is there no explicit subject?

The sentence begins with "tässä" (meaning "here"), followed by "on", which is the third person singular form of "olla" (to be), and then the noun "kahvi" (coffee). Finnish is a pro-drop language, so subjects are often omitted when the context makes them clear. In this existential construction, the existence of the coffee is simply stated without needing a subject such as "it".

What is the function of the word "ole" in "ole hyvä"?

"Ole" is the imperative form of "olla" (to be). When combined with "hyvä" (good), the phrase is used as a polite command meaning "be good" in a literal sense, but idiomatically it conveys "here you go" or "please" when offering something. This is why "ole hyvä" is commonly heard both when presenting an item and as a response to "thank you" in Finnish.

Why isn’t there an article before "kahvi" like "a" or "the" in English?

Finnish does not use articles at all. Nouns like "kahvi" are used without any equivalent of "a" or "the". Context and word order provide enough information, so the sentence simply states the existence of coffee without adding an article.

What is the role of the comma in this sentence?

The comma is used to separate the two parts of the sentence. The first part, "Tässä on kahvi", introduces the item being presented, and the second part, "ole hyvä", offers it in a polite manner. This separation helps to clearly distinguish between announcing the coffee and the courteous invitation to accept it.

In what context might you use this sentence when speaking Finnish?

This sentence would be used when you are serving or offering coffee to someone, whether in a casual home setting or possibly even in a small café. It is a friendly and polite way to let someone know that their coffee is ready and to invite them to enjoy it, capturing both the act of presenting the item and the courteous gesture of offering it.