Ilta on hieman pimeä.

The evening is a bit dark.

Breakdown of Ilta on hieman pimeä.

• olla: to be
• pimeä: dark
• ilta: the evening
• hieman: a bit

Questions & Answers about Ilta on hieman pimeä.

What does on mean in this sentence?

on is the third-person singular present tense of the verb olla (“to be”). Here it acts as the linking verb: Ilta on hieman pimeä = “The evening is somewhat dark.”

What case is ilta in, and why?

ilta is in the nominative singular because it’s the subject of the sentence. With olla, the subject remains in the nominative case.

What part of speech is hieman, and how does it work here?

hieman is an adverb meaning “a little,” “slightly,” or “somewhat.” It modifies the adjective pimeä, softening it:
• hieman pimeä = “a bit dark.”

Why doesn’t pimeä change its ending after hieman?

Because pimeä is used predicatively after the verb olla, it stays in the nominative singular to agree with the subject. Predicative adjectives don’t take case endings beyond nominative singular.

Could you use a different word instead of hieman?

Yes. Common synonyms are hiukan, vähän, and aavistuksen. All mean “slightly”:
• Ilta on hiukan pimeä.
• Ilta on vähän pimeä.
• Ilta on aavistuksen pimeä.

What’s the difference between a predicative and an attributive adjective in Finnish?

• Predicative adjective: Follows a verb like olla. Always nominative singular (or plural) to match the subject.
Example: Ilta on pimeä.
• Attributive adjective: Precedes a noun and takes the same case and number ending as the noun.
Example: pimeä ilta (“dark evening”) — both pimeä and ilta are nominative singular here.

How would you negate “Ilta on hieman pimeä”?

Use the negative verb ei in third-person singular, which also turns olla into ole:
• Ilta ei ole pimeä. (“The evening is not dark.”)
You can still use an adverb:
• Ilta ei ole kovin pimeä. (“The evening isn’t very dark.”)

How do you say “The evening is getting dark”?

Use the intransitive verb pimenn​y​ä in the present tense:
• Ilta pimenee. (“The evening is getting dark.”)