Questions & Answers about Oppiminen on tärkeä asia.
What does the word Oppiminen come from?
It’s a verbal noun built from the verb oppia (to learn) + the suffix -minen, which turns a verb into a noun meaning “the act/process of X.” So oppiminen = “learning.” As a regular noun it inflects:
- nominative: oppiminen
- genitive: oppimisen
- partitive: oppimista
- elative: oppimisesta, etc.
Why is it tärkeä and not tärkeää here?
Because the predicate is a noun phrase tärkeä asia (“an important thing”). When the predicate is a concrete noun phrase, it’s in the nominative, so the adjective tärkeä agrees with asia in nominative.
If you drop the noun and use only an adjective to describe the abstract activity, Finnish prefers the partitive: Oppiminen on tärkeää (“Learning is important”).
Can I omit asia and just say Oppiminen on tärkeää? Which sounds more natural?
Yes, and it’s often more natural and idiomatic. Oppiminen on tärkeää is the go‑to way to say “Learning is important.” Oppiminen on tärkeä asia explicitly calls learning “an important thing,” which can sound a bit more formal or emphatic.
Is Oppiminen on tärkeä (without asia) acceptable?