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Questions & Answers about Yksi hius on pöydällä.
Is yksi acting like the English article “a,” or does it mean exactly “one”?
yksi is the numeral “one,” not an article. Finnish has no articles. Without yksi, the idea “a hair” is usually clear from context:
- Pöydällä on hius. = There’s a hair on the table. Adding yksi emphasizes that there is exactly one:
- Pöydällä on yksi hius. The given sentence puts extra focus on the hair itself.
Why is it hius and not the partitive hiusta?
After yksi, the noun stays in nominative singular: yksi hius. With numerals 2 and above (and 0), Finnish uses the partitive singular:
- kaksi hiusta, kolme hiusta, nolla hiusta. If the amount is unspecified (“some hairs”), use partitive plural:
- Pöydällä on hiuksia.
Can I also say Pöydällä on yksi hius? Which order is more natural?
Yes. The neutral existential pattern is place + on + new/indefinite thing:
- Pöydällä on yksi hius. (most neutral “there is one hair on the table”)
- Yksi hius on pöydällä. highlights the hair (e.g., in contrast or as known topic).
What does the ending -llä in pöydällä mean?
It’s the adessive case, typically “on/at” a surface or location. With pöytä (table):
- pöydällä = on the table (static)
- pöydälle = onto the table (movement to)
- pöydältä = off/from the table (movement from) Vowel harmony chooses -llä (front-vowel variant) because pöytä has ö, ä.
Why does pöytä change to pöyd- in pöydällä?
Consonant gradation: t ~ d. When a suffix closes the preceding syllable (as -llä does), the weak grade d appears:
- pöytä (strong grade)
- pöydällä, pöydässä, pöydän (weak grade) With an open-syllable suffix, the strong grade stays:
- pöytää (partitive singular)
What exactly is on? When would I use ovat?
on is the 3rd person singular present of olla (“to be”). It’s used for both “is” and existential “there is.” In existential sentences, on is used even with plural things:
- Pöydällä on kaksi hiusta. For a definite, known plural subject in normal subject–verb order, use ovat:
- Hiukset ovat pöydällä. (“The hair [on someone’s head] is on the table.”)
Is there a difference between pöydällä and pöydän päällä?
Both can mean “on the table.” pöydällä is the normal, general choice. pöydän päällä (“on top of the table”) is more explicit about being on the upper surface (vs. under/inside). In many contexts, they’re interchangeable, but pöydän päällä is more specific.
How do I say “at the table” (as in sitting to eat), not literally on it?
Use pöydän ääressä (“at the table”), not pöydällä.
How do I negate the sentence?
Use the negative verb ei + ole, and a partitive form:
- General “no hairs”: Pöydällä ei ole hiuksia.
- “Not a single hair”: Pöydällä ei ole yhtään hiusta / Pöydällä ei ole ainoatakaan hiusta.
How would I say “There are two hairs on the table”?
Pöydällä on kaksi hiusta.
How do adjectives agree here? For example, “one long hair” and “two long hairs.”
Adjectives agree in case and number with the noun.
- One long hair: yksi pitkä hius; Yksi pitkä hius on pöydällä.
- Two long hairs: kaksi pitkää hiusta; Pöydällä on kaksi pitkää hiusta.
- Someone’s hair is long: Hiukset ovat pitkät.
What’s the difference between hius, hiukset, and karva?
- hius = a single strand of human head hair.
- hiukset = the hair on a person’s head (plural-only in this sense).
- karva = animal hair/fur, or human body hair; also used informally for shed pet hairs.
Is Yksi hius on pöydällä idiomatic?
Yes, but it has a focusing effect (“one particular hair is on the table”). For a neutral existence statement, Pöydällä on yksi hius is more typical.
How is the sentence pronounced?
- Stress is on the first syllable: YK-si HI-us on PÖY-däl-lä.
- y and ö are front rounded vowels (like German ü/ö).
- ä is a front a (similar to English “cat,” but purer).
- ll is a long consonant; hold it longer.
- hius has two syllables: hi-us.
How can I make the table more specific, like “on that table” or “on the kitchen table”?
- “on that table”: sillä pöydällä
- “on the kitchen table”: keittiön pöydällä (genitive + adessive)
Can yksi be inflected?
Yes. It inflects like an adjective:
- Adessive: yhdellä (e.g., Yhdellä pöydällä on hius.)
- Genitive: yhden
- Partitive: yhtä …and so on, depending on the role in the sentence.