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Questions & Answers about Hän osaa laulaa hyvin.
What does osaa mean in this sentence?
Osaa is the third-person singular, present-tense form of the verb osata, meaning “to know how to” or “to be able to” (in the sense of having learned a skill). Here osaa translates as “(she/he) knows how to” or simply “(she/he) can.”
Why is laulaa in its basic (infinitive) form rather than conjugated?
When one verb of ability (osata) is followed by another verb, that second verb appears in the first infinitive (dictionary) form. Thus osaa laulaa literally means “knows how to sing.” You never conjugate laulaa here; it stays as the infinitive.
Why is hyvin at the end of the sentence? Could it appear elsewhere?
Finnish word order is quite flexible. Hyvin (“well”) is an adverb modifying the verb phrase osaa laulaa. Placing it at the end is most neutral. If you moved it, e.g. Hän hyvin osaa laulaa, you’d shift the emphasis onto “well,” making the sentence less common but still understandable.
What case is hän, and why doesn’t Finnish distinguish gender here?
Hän is the nominative singular third-person pronoun (“he/she”). Finnish does not have gendered third-person pronouns, so hän covers both “he” and “she.”
Can you omit hän since Finnish verbs show person?
Yes. Finnish is a pro-drop language, so you can say Osaa laulaa hyvin. and it still means “(She/He) can sing well.” Including hän simply makes the subject explicit or adds emphasis.
How do you make this sentence negative?
Use the negative auxiliary ei plus the main verb in its participle or infinitive form: • Hän ei osaa laulaa hyvin. Here ei is the negative verb, and the structure stays osata + infinitive.
Could you use a different verb instead of osata, like taitaa?
Yes, taitaa can function similarly: Hän taitaa laulaa hyvin. However, taitaa often carries a nuance of supposition (“I believe she can…”), whereas osata is the straightforward word for skill-based ability.
Why isn’t there an object for laulaa (sing)?
Here laulaa is part of the verb-chain osaa laulaa, not a transitive verb taking an object. The sentence means “She/He knows how to sing well,” and you wouldn’t normally add an object unless specifying what she sings (e.g. laulun “a song”).
How would you intensify “well” in Finnish?
You can add degree adverbs before hyvin, for example:
• Hän osaa laulaa todella hyvin. (truly/really well)
• Hän osaa laulaa erittäin hyvin. (extremely well)
• Hän osaa laulaa uskomattoman hyvin. (incredibly well)