Pohja on liukas.

The bottom is slippery.

Breakdown of Pohja on liukas.

• olla: to be
• liukas: slippery
• pohja: the bottom

Questions & Answers about Pohja on liukas.

What is the role of on in this sentence?

On is the third-person singular present form of the verb olla (meaning “to be”). It serves as the copula, connecting the subject pohja to the predicate adjective liukas.

Why doesn’t the sentence include any articles like “the” as in English?

Finnish does not use articles. Nouns appear in their basic form without definite or indefinite articles, which means pohja is used on its own without a word equivalent to “the.”

What does the adjective liukas mean, and how is it used in this sentence?

Liukas means “slippery.” In this sentence, it functions as a predicate adjective that describes the subject pohja. Adjectives in Finnish used in predicative positions remain in their basic form.

How is the sentence structured in terms of subject, verb, and predicate?

The sentence follows a straightforward Subject-Copula-Predicate pattern. Pohja is the subject, on is the linking verb (copula), and liukas is the predicate adjective that describes the subject.

Does the noun pohja change its form to indicate its role in the sentence?

No, pohja remains in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence. Finnish uses case endings to show grammatical roles, and the nominative form is used for subjects in simple statements.