Tämä ohjelma on todella hyödyllinen.

Word
Tämä ohjelma on todella hyödyllinen.
Meaning
This program is really useful.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Hardcore Finnish
Lesson
Lesson 12

Breakdown of Tämä ohjelma on todella hyödyllinen.

olla
to be
tämä
this
todella
really
ohjelma
the program
hyödyllinen
useful
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Questions & Answers about Tämä ohjelma on todella hyödyllinen.

What is the function of Tämä in this sentence?

Tämä is a demonstrative pronoun (sometimes called a determiner) meaning this. Here it’s in the nominative singular to match ohjelma. It points to something specific—“this program.” Other cases include:

  • genitive: tämän
  • partitive: tätä
  • plural nominative: nämä
What does ohjelma mean, and how is it declined in the nominative and genitive?

Ohjelma means program (as in computer or TV program). It belongs to the “–ma/–mä” noun type. Key forms:

  • nominative singular: ohjelma
  • genitive singular: ohjelman
  • nominative plural: ohjelmat
  • genitive plural: ohjelmien

These show ownership (genitive) or count (plural).

What is the word on, and why is it used here?
On is the 3rd person singular present tense form of olla (“to be”). It corresponds to English is. We use it to link the subject (Tämä ohjelma) with its attribute (hyödyllinen).
What does todella mean, and why is it placed before the adjective?

Todella is an adverb meaning really or very. It modifies the adjective hyödyllinen, intensifying it. In Finnish, adverbs like todella typically precede the word they modify:

  • hyödyllinen = useful
  • todella hyödyllinen = really useful
What does hyödyllinen mean, and how is it formed and inflected?

Hyödyllinen means useful. It’s a typical Finnish adjective ending in –inen. Basic forms:

  • nominative singular: hyödyllinen
  • genitive singular: hyödyllisen
  • nominative plural: hyödylliset
    To form comparative: hyödyllisempi (more useful); superlative: hyödyllisin (most useful).
Why is the word order Tämä ohjelma on todella hyödyllinen (SVO) instead of some other order?

Finnish is relatively flexible, but the unmarked (neutral) order is Subject–Verb–Object/Complement. Here:
1) Tämä ohjelma (subject)
2) on (verb)
3) todella hyödyllinen (complement)
This order clearly shows who is doing what and keeps the adverb directly before the adjective it modifies.

How would I make this sentence negative?

Replace on with the negative form ei ole (or contracted ei oo in colloquial speech).
Example:
Tämä ohjelma ei ole todella hyödyllinen.
= “This program is not really useful.”

Can I use other intensifiers instead of todella, and are there differences?

Yes. Common alternatives:

  • tosi: colloquial really → Tämä ohjelma on tosi hyödyllinen.
  • erittäin: more formal extremely → Tämä ohjelma on erittäin hyödyllinen.
  • kovin: slightly old-fashioned quite/very → Tämä ohjelma on kovin hyödyllinen.
    Each carries a slightly different tone or emphasis.