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Questions & Answers about Taivas on kirkas tänään.
Why is there no word for the in Taivas on kirkas tänään?
Finnish does not use articles. Definiteness is implied by context. So taivas can mean either “sky” or “the sky” depending on the situation.
What case are taivas and kirkas in?
Both are in the nominative singular. taivas is the subject, and kirkas is a predicative adjective that agrees with the subject’s case and number.
What does on mean and how is it used?
on is the third person singular present form of olla (“to be”). It links the subject and the predicate: “the sky is clear.”
What part of speech is tänään, and why does it appear at the end?
tänään is an adverb of time (“today”). Finnish word order is flexible; time adverbs often go at the end, though you can also place them at the front for emphasis.
Can the words be in a different order in Finnish?
Yes. You could say Tänään taivas on kirkas or Taivas tänään on kirkas. Changing the order shifts the focus—for instance, starting with Tänään highlights “today.”
How do you pronounce taivas, kirkas, and tänään?
Approximate pronunciations:
- taivas [ˈtɑi̯ʋɑs] (“TIE-vas”)
- kirkas [ˈkir.kɑs] (“KIR-kas”)
- tänään [ˈtæ.næːn] (“TAE-nayn,” ä like the “a” in “cat,” long vowel on ään)
Is kirkas used elsewhere or are there synonyms for “clear” in weather contexts?
kirkas means “bright” or “clear.” A synonym for a cloudless sky is selkeä (“clear, distinct”), but kirkas often emphasizes brightness or clarity of light.
Would it be correct to say Taivas on kirkkaana tänään?
No. kirkkaana is the essive case (“as a bright one”) and isn’t used for simple predications. Finnish uses the nominative form (kirkas) for predicative adjectives.