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Questions & Answers about Vastaus on sama.
Why is there no article like the or a before vastaus?
Finnish doesn’t use articles (the, a). Definiteness or indefiniteness is determined by context, so you simply say vastaus on sama—literally “answer is same”—and translate it as “the answer is the same.”
What case are vastaus and sama in here, and why?
Both are in the nominative singular. With the verb olla (“to be”), you use the nominative for both the subject (vastaus) and the predicate adjective (sama).
Why isn’t sama in the partitive as samaa?
Predicate adjectives after olla always take the nominative, not the partitive. You would see samaa in a partitive object position, e.g. Etsin samaa vastausta (“I’m looking for the same answer”).
How would I say the answers are the same in Finnish?
Pluralize both noun and adjective: vastaukset ovat samat. Here vastaukset is nominative plural (“answers”) and samat is the matching adjective form.
How do I compare with yesterday, i.e. say the answer is the same as yesterday?
Use the comparative conjunction kuin (“as/than”): Vastaus on sama kuin eilen.
What’s the difference between sama and samanlainen?
sama means “the identical one” (exactly the same), whereas samanlainen means “of the same kind” or “similar.” For example, sama vastaus is the very same answer; samanlainen vastaus is a similar answer.
Can I use se instead of repeating vastaus?
Yes. If it’s clear what you’re referring to, you can say Se on sama (“It is the same”).
Can I reverse the word order and say sama on vastaus?
Grammatically yes, but it sounds unusual or poetic. Standard Finnish prefers Subject–Verb–Predicate: Vastaus on sama.
How do I pronounce vastaus on sama correctly?
Stress always falls on the first syllable of each word: VAS-taus, ON, SA-ma. Also note vowel lengths: the aa in sama is long.