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Questions & Answers about Sää on tänään hyvin kaunis.
What does Sää on mean, and why isn’t there an article in Finnish?
Sää means weather and on is the 3rd person singular present of olla (to be). Unlike English, Finnish has no articles (no equivalent of the or a), so “the weather is beautiful” becomes simply Sää on kaunis.
What part of speech is tänään, and does it ever change form?
Tänään is an adverb of time meaning today. It’s indeclinable in Finnish, so it always stays tänään, regardless of its position in the sentence.
Why is hyvin used before kaunis, and what exactly does it mean here?
Hyvin is an adverb functioning as an intensifier. In this context it means very, so hyvin kaunis = very beautiful. Note that hyvin can also mean well, depending on context, but here it boosts the adjective.
Why is kaunis in the nominative singular form rather than some other case?
As a predicative adjective (one that follows a form of olla), kaunis agrees in case and number with its subject sää, which is nominative singular. Hence you use kaunis, not any inflected form.
Can I change the word order in Sää on tänään hyvin kaunis, and does it affect emphasis?
Yes. Finnish has fairly free word order. For example:
• Tänään sää on hyvin kaunis (emphasizes today)
• Hyvin kaunis sää on tänään (highlights how beautiful it is)
Each variation subtly shifts what you’re stressing.
How do I turn this statement into a question in Finnish?
Attach the question particle -ko/-kö to the verb on and invert verb and subject:
Onko sää tänään hyvin kaunis?
This means “Is the weather very beautiful today?”
Is there a more colloquial way to say “very beautiful” in Finnish?
Yes. Native speakers often use tosi or todella as intensifiers:
• Sää on tänään tosi kaunis
• Sää on tänään todella kaunis
How would I express an exclamation like “What a beautiful day today!”?
Use the exclamatory verb form onpa with olla:
Onpa tänään kaunis sää!
This construction conveys delight or surprise at how nice the weather is.