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Questions & Answers about Vuokra on kallis.
What is vuokra and what role does it play in the sentence?
Vuokra is a noun meaning rent. It’s in the nominative singular, serving as the grammatical subject of the sentence.
What does on mean here, and how is it formed?
On is the third-person singular present form of the verb olla, which means to be. It functions as the linking verb between the subject (vuokra) and the predicate adjective (kallis).
What part of speech is kallis, and why does it appear in this form?
Kallis is an adjective meaning expensive. As a predicate following a form of olla, it takes the nominative singular to agree with its subject.
Why is there no article like “the” or “a” in the sentence?
Finnish has no definite or indefinite articles. Context alone tells you whether you mean “the rent” or “a rent.”
How would I turn this into a question: “Is the rent expensive?”
Invert on and the subject and add the question particle:
Onko vuokra kallis?
Here onko is the interrogative form of on.
How can I say “My rent is expensive” in Finnish?
Attach the possessive suffix -ni to vuokra:
Vuokrani on kallis.
Here -ni marks “my.”
What if I want to say “Rents are expensive” (plural)?
Use the plural forms:
Vuokrat ovat kalliit.
• Vuokrat = plural nominative of vuokra
• ovat = third-person plural of olla
• kalliit = adjective in plural nominative
How would you express “The rent was expensive” (past tense)?
Change on to its past form oli:
Vuokra oli kallis.
Can I drop on and say Vuokra kallis?
In standard Finnish you need the verb on for a full sentence. You might see Vuokra kallis in headlines, ads, or poetic/colloquial speech, but it’s not recommended in everyday conversation.