Learn Hardcore Finnish: Uusi asunto on tilava ja valoisa. - The new apartment is spacious and bright.

Finnish does not have articles like English a or the. The noun phrase uusi asunto can mean either a new apartment or the new apartment depending on context. If you need to specify, you use demonstratives (e.g. tämä uusi asunto for “this new apartment” or se uusi asunto for “that new apartment”).

What case are uusi asunto and tilava ja valoisa in, and why?

Both uusi asunto (the subject) and tilava ja valoisa (predicate adjectives) are in the nominative singular. In Finnish, when you use the verb olla (“to be”), the subject and its complement normally stay in the nominative case.

How do the adjectives uusi, tilava, and valoisa agree with the noun, and why do they end in -i, -a, and -a?

Finnish adjectives always agree in case and number with the nouns they describe. Here, asunto is singular nominative, so each adjective takes the nominative singular ending.

uusi (‘new’) is a type I adjective whose nominative singular ends in -i.
tilava (‘spacious’) is a type I adjective ending in -a.
valoisa (‘bright’) comes from the adjective base valois- plus the type I ending -a.

What is on, and how is it conjugated?

on is the 3rd person singular present form of olla (“to be”), equivalent to English is. The main forms of olla in the present tense are:

minä olen (I am)
sinä olet (you are)
hän/se on (he/she/it is)
me olemme (we are)
te olette (you [pl.] are)
he ovat (they are)

How do you connect multiple adjectives in Finnish? Why doesn’t ja change?

You simply place ja (“and”) between adjectives. Each adjective must carry the correct case/number ending (here nominative singular), but ja itself never takes an ending. Example: tilava ja valoisa.

Can I change the word order? For example, Asunto on uusi, tilava ja valoisa or Tilava ja valoisa uusi asunto on?

Yes—Finnish word order is quite flexible and you can move elements for emphasis or style. The neutral, most common order is Uusi asunto on tilava ja valoisa. Other orders are grammatically correct but may feel marked or put special focus on a particular element.

How do I pronounce Uusi asunto on tilava ja valoisa? Where is the main stress?

Finnish has fixed primary stress on the first syllable of each word. So you’d stress UU-si, AS-un-to, ON, TI-la-va, VA-loi-sa. Vowels are pure; long vowels (e.g. uu in uusi) are held twice as long as short vowels. If you use IPA: [ˈuːsi ˈɑsunto ˈon ˈtilɑʋɑ jɑ ˈʋɑloisɑ].

What nuance does uusi carry? Are there synonyms?

uusi simply means “new” in the sense of “brand-new” or “recently made/obtained.” If you want “fresh” as in “freshly cooked,” you might say tuore. For “brand-new” emphasizing very recent, you could use upouusi. But for a standard “new apartment,” uusi asunto is the normal choice.