Learn Hardcore Finnish: Portaat ovat hieman jyrkät, mutta tämä harjoitus on hyvä. - The stairs are a bit steep, but this exercise is good.

In Finnish, when you state a simple fact about a noun (like “The stairs are…”), the noun is in the nominative case. Since portaat (“stairs”) is naturally plural, you use the nominative plural form portaat. You would use the partitive (e.g. portaita) only in contexts where the object is incomplete, ongoing, or you’re expressing “some stairs” rather than “the stairs.”

Why does the adjective jyrkät end in -t?

Adjectives in Finnish agree with their noun in both case and number. Here portaat is plural and nominative, so the adjective “steep” also takes the plural nominative ending -t, giving jyrkät. If the noun were singular (e.g. portaikko), you’d say jyrkkä.

What role does hieman play, and why does it come before the adjective?

Hieman is an adverb meaning “a bit” or “slightly.” Adverbs modifying adjectives normally precede them in Finnish, just as in English. So hieman jyrkät means “slightly steep.” Without hieman, you’d simply say Portaat ovat jyrkät (“The stairs are steep”).

Why are there two forms of the verb olla—ovat and on—in the sentence?

Finnish verbs agree in number (and person) with their subject. In the first clause the subject is portaat (plural), so you use ovat (“they are”). In the second clause the subject is tämä harjoitus (singular), so you use on (“it is”).

Could you drop tämä and just say Harjoitus on hyvä? What does tämä add?

You can say Harjoitus on hyvä (“The exercise is good”), but by adding tämä (“this”) you specify exactly which exercise you mean. Finnish copular sentences always need a subject noun or pronoun, but tämä is optional if context already makes the subject clear.

Why use mutta here instead of vaan, and do you always put a comma before mutta?

Mutta simply means “but” and is used in neutral contrasting statements. Vaan is used only after a negation (e.g. En halua kahvia, vaan teetä). You normally place a comma before mutta when it links two independent clauses, just like in English.

What’s the difference between harjoitus and harjoittelu?

Harjoitus refers to a specific exercise or practice session (a single workout, a drill, etc.). Harjoittelu is the general activity of training or practicing over time. In this sentence you’re praising one particular exercise, so harjoitus is correct.

Can you change the word order, for example start with Hieman or Mutta?

Finnish has relatively free word order, so you could say Hieman jyrkät ovat portaat, mutta tämä harjoitus on hyvä for emphasis on “slightly steep.” You could also start the second clause with Mutta as shown. Just remember that the verb must agree with its subject, and adjectives/adverbs usually stay close to the words they modify.