Rakennus on kallis.

The building is expensive.

Breakdown of Rakennus on kallis.

• olla: to be
• kallis: expensive
• rakennus: the building

Questions & Answers about Rakennus on kallis.

Why is there no the before rakennus?

Finnish has no articles (no a, an or the). Nouns stand alone, and definiteness or indefiniteness is understood from context rather than a separate word.

What does on mean and why is it used here?

on is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb olla, which means “to be.” So Rakennus on kallis literally translates as “Building is expensive,” or more naturally in English, “The building is expensive.”

What case is rakennus in, and why?

rakennus is in the nominative singular, which is the default form for the subject of a sentence. Since it’s the thing doing the “being” (it “is expensive”), it stays in nominative.

Why doesn’t kallis take an ending like Finnish nouns do?

As a predicative adjective (one that follows on and describes the subject), kallis also stays in the nominative singular. Only attributive adjectives (those that directly modify a noun, e.g. kallis rakennus) agree in case and number with the noun.

What’s the difference between kallis rakennus and rakennus on kallis?