Hymy auttaa aina.

to help

Breakdown of Hymy auttaa aina.

• aina: always
• hymy: the smile

Questions & Answers about Hymy auttaa aina.

Why is there no article (like a or the) before hymy?

Finnish does not have articles. The noun hymy in the nominative singular can express both “a smile” and “the smile” in a general statement. Context tells you it’s indefinite here (“a smile”).

What case and number is hymy, and why?

It’s in the nominative singular. As the subject of the sentence, hymy stays in the basic form (nominative). Singular is used because we’re talking about the concept of a smile, not specific multiple smiles.

Why does the verb appear as auttaa (with -taa)?

Auttaa is a type I verb whose 3rd person singular present form ends in -aa/-ää. Conjugation looks like:

• minä autan
• sinä autat
• hän auttaa
• me autamme
• te autatte
• he auttavat

Here auttaa = “he/she/it helps.”

There’s no object—who or what is being helped?

In this context auttaa is used intransitively to mean “to be beneficial” or “to work” rather than “to assist someone.” So there is no direct object: the sentence means “A smile always helps (i.e. is beneficial).”

What is aina, and why is it placed at the end?