Breakdown of Uusi asunto on hiljainen ja siisti.
olla
to be
ja
and
siisti
tidy
hiljainen
quiet
uusi asunto
the new apartment
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Questions & Answers about Uusi asunto on hiljainen ja siisti.
What does uusi mean in this sentence?
uusi is an adjective meaning new. Here it describes asunto, so uusi asunto means new apartment.
What does siisti mean? I’ve heard it can also mean “cool.”
When describing a place, siisti means tidy or neat. Colloquially it can mean cool, but in uusi asunto on hiljainen ja siisti it refers to cleanliness and order.
Why is there no article like “a” or “the” before uusi asunto?
Finnish does not use articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness (a/the) is understood from context. So uusi asunto can be rendered as a new apartment or the new apartment depending on the situation.
Why are uusi, hiljainen and siisti not inflected with case endings here?
They’re all in the singular nominative case to agree with the subject asunto, which is nominative because it’s the subject of the copular verb on. Predicate adjectives in a sentence with olla (to be) take the same case (nominative) and number as the subject.
What is on and how is it used?
on is the third person singular present of olla (to be), functioning as the copula is in English. It links the subject (uusi asunto) to its description (hiljainen ja siisti).
Why is the word order uusi asunto on hiljainen ja siisti?
The basic pattern with olla is Subject–Copula–Predicate. Finnish adjectives normally precede the noun they modify, so you get Subject (adjective+noun) + on + Predicate (adjective + ja + adjective).
Can I add more adjectives, and where do commas go?
Yes. Use commas between items but never before the final ja.
Example: Uusi asunto on hiljainen, valoisa ja siisti.
How would you say “New apartments are quiet and clean” in Finnish?
Adjectives and nouns must be plural nominative, and on becomes ovat (they are).
So you get:
Uudet asunnot ovat hiljaiset ja siistit.
Any tips on pronouncing hiljainen and siisti?
Stress always falls on the first syllable in Finnish, so pronounce HIL-jai-nen and SII-sti. Both words use front-vowel harmony (i, e, ä), but since there are no added suffixes here, you won’t need to adjust anything.