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Questions & Answers about Hinta on korkea.
What case is Hinta in, and why does it end with -a?
Hinta is the nominative singular form of the noun meaning “price.” Many Finnish nouns in the nominative singular end in -a or -ä; this is simply part of the noun’s stem. Since it’s the subject of the sentence, it stays in the nominative.
Why is there no word for “the” or “a” before Hinta?
Finnish does not use articles like “the” or “a.” Definiteness and indefiniteness are inferred from context or other words, not from separate articles.
What is on, and why is it placed between the noun and the adjective?
on is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb olla (“to be”). In “Hinta on korkea,” it links the subject (Hinta) to the predicate adjective (korkea), just as “is” does in English.
What form is korkea, and why doesn’t it change ending?
korkea is an adjective in the positive degree, nominative singular to agree with Hinta. Since Hinta is singular nominative, the adjective also takes its basic stem plus -a (the nominative singular ending for adjectives).
Can the adjective come before the noun instead, like “korkea hinta”?
Yes. Finnish word order is flexible. “Korkea hinta” emphasizes “high price” as a noun phrase. Using the verb olla (“on”) adds a full clause (“Hinta on korkea”) meaning “The price is high.”
How do you turn this into a question: “Is the price high?”
Invert on and Hinta, and add the question particle -ko to the verb: Onko hinta korkea?
How would you say “The price was high” (i.e., in the past tense)?
Use the past form oli of olla: Hinta oli korkea.
How do you express “too high” or “very high” in Finnish?
Insert an adverb before the adjective:
- Hinta on liian korkea. (The price is too high.)
- Hinta on erittäin / tosi korkea. (The price is very high.)
How do you form comparatives and superlatives of korkea?
Comparative: korkeampi (“higher”), superlative: korkein (“highest”).
Examples:
- Hinta on korkeampi kuin eilen. (The price is higher than yesterday.)
- Tämä on korkein hinta, mitä olen nähnyt. (This is the highest price I’ve seen.)