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Questions & Answers about Rauha on tärkeä.
What does each word in "Rauha on tärkeä" mean?
Rauha means peace, on is the form of the verb to be meaning is, and tärkeä means important. Thus, the sentence translates to "Peace is important."
What role does the word on play in this sentence?
On is the third person singular present tense of the verb olla (to be). It acts as a linking verb (copula), connecting the subject rauha to the predicate adjective tärkeä.
Why is there no article like "the" before rauha?
Finnish does not use articles such as "a" or "the." The absence of an article before rauha is completely normal and does not affect the meaning of the sentence.
How is the adjective tärkeä used in the sentence, and does it need to agree with the noun?
Tärkeä functions as a predicate adjective describing the subject rauha. In Finnish, adjectives used predicatively appear in the nominative case and, in simple sentences like this, match the subject in number and case. Since rauha is in the nominative singular, tärkeä remains in its base (nominative singular) form.
How does the word order in "Rauha on tärkeä" compare to typical English sentence structure?
The sentence follows the Subject - Verb - Predicate structure—similar to English. "Rauha" is the subject, "on" is the linking verb, and "tärkeä" is the predicate adjective. Although Finnish allows more flexibility in word order because of its case system, straightforward sentences like this one adhere to a familiar pattern for English speakers.