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Questions & Answers about Pesu on valmis.
Which grammatical case is pesu in, and why is it not in another case?
Pesu is in the nominative singular case. In Finnish, the subject of a sentence normally takes the nominative, and here pesu (“wash” or “washing cycle”) is the subject.
Why is valmis also in the nominative singular, and what is its role in the sentence?
Valmis is a predicative adjective describing the subject pesu. Predicative adjectives agree in case and number with their subject, so since pesu is nominative singular, valmis remains nominative singular too. It tells us the wash “is ready” or “is finished.”
Why does the sentence include the verb on, and could it ever be omitted?
On is the third-person singular form of olla (“to be”) and is needed in standard Finnish to link the subject and predicate. In informal spoken Finnish you might hear Pesu valmis without on, but in writing or clear speech you normally keep on for completeness.
Why aren’t there any articles like “the” or “a” in Pesu on valmis?
Finnish doesn’t have definite or indefinite articles. Whether you mean “a wash” or “the wash” depends on context, not on separate words.
Could the adjective valmiina be used instead of valmis here? What’s the difference?
Valmiina is the adessive form and often appears with verbs that take the adessive complement (e.g. olen valmiina lähtemään, “I am ready to leave”). In Pesu on valmis, you need the nominative form valmis because it’s a simple predicative adjective.
How is Pesu on valmis different from Pesu on tehty?
Pesu on valmis focuses on the wash being ready to be taken out or used. Pesu on tehty literally means “the wash has been done,” emphasizing the completion of the action rather than its current readiness.
Why is the present tense on used even though the washing is already finished?
Finnish uses the present tense of olla to describe a current state or condition. Saying Pesu on valmis means “right now, the wash is in the state of being finished/ready.”
Can pesu refer to different kinds of washing, like laundry versus washing dishes?
Yes. Pesu is a general noun for “washing.” Without further context it could mean a laundry cycle, a car wash, hand-washing dishes, etc. The surrounding context tells you which one.
If there were multiple washes, how would you say “the washes are ready”?
You would pluralize everything: Pesut ovat valmiit. Here pesut is the plural nominative subject, ovat is the third-person plural of olla, and valmiit is the plural form of the adjective.