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Questions & Answers about Ruoka on jo valmis.
Why is ruoka in the nominative case, and not the partitive?
In this sentence, ruoka (“food”) is the grammatical subject of the verb olla (“to be”), so it takes the nominative case. The partitive (e.g. ruokaa) is used for unspecified amounts, partial objects, or existential statements like ruokaa on jäljellä (“there is some food left”), but a simple “X is Y” structure always uses the nominative for X.
What does on mean, and why isn’t it olla?
on is simply the third-person singular present-tense form of the infinitive olla (“to be”). You never use the infinitive by itself as the main verb; instead you conjugate it to match the subject. Here ruoka → “it” → on (“is”).
What is the function of jo, and why is it placed between on and valmis?
jo is an adverb meaning already. In Finnish, adverbs of time like jo typically come right after the finite verb, especially when followed by an adjective or complement:
Ruoka (on) jo valmis
This order sounds most neutral.
Why isn’t there an article like the before ruoka?
Finnish has no definite or indefinite articles. You simply say ruoka on valmis for both “food is ready” and “the food is ready.” Context tells you whether you mean a specific dish or food in general.
Why isn’t valmis inflected like an adjective (e.g. no extra ending)?
Adjectives used predicatively with olla agree with their subject in case and number. Here the subject ruoka is nominative singular, and the base form of valmis is already the nominative-singular form. No extra suffix is needed for that combination.
Can you use valmiina instead of valmis, and what’s the difference?
Yes, ruoka on valmiina is also grammatical. valmiina is the essive case of valmis, emphasizing the state of readiness (“in the state of being ready”). ruoka on valmis focuses on the fact that it’s finished/prepared, while ruoka on valmiina can hint at “it’s ready for you now.” In practice they’re often interchangeable.
What is the literal word-for-word translation of each element in Ruoka on jo valmis?
• Ruoka = food
• on = is
• jo = already
• valmis = ready
How strict is the word order? Could I say Valmis on ruoka jo?
Finnish word order is relatively flexible because case marking shows each word’s function. The neutral order is Subject–Verb–Adverb–Predicate (S V Adv P) as in Ruoka on jo valmis. You can rearrange for emphasis—e.g. Valmis on ruoka jo! (“It’s ready, the food is!”)—but it will sound poetic, marked, or humorous rather than neutral.