En ole varma, onko tämä oikein.

I am not sure whether this is correct.

Breakdown of En ole varma, onko tämä oikein.

• minä: I
• olla: to be
• tämä: this
• ei: not
• varma: sure
• oikein: correct
• -ko: whether

Questions & Answers about En ole varma, onko tämä oikein.

Why is it En ole varma and not something like Olen ei varma or Ei ole varma?

Finnish forms negation differently from English.

• En is the negative verb in the 1st person singular (I):
  
  • en = I do not
  • et = you do not
  • ei = he/she/it does not
  • emme = we do not, etc.
• ole is the basic (present tense) form of olla (to be) when used with the negative verb.
• varma is the adjective sure.

So the structure is:

• en (I do not) + ole (be) + varma (sure)
  → En ole varma = I am not sure

You cannot say Olen ei varma, because Finnish does not use ei as a separate word after a normal verb; the negation must be the finite verb itself (en).
You also cannot just say Ei ole varma if you mean I am not sure, because ei would be 3rd person (he/she/it), not 1st person.

What exactly does En ole varma, onko tämä oikein mean? Is it the same as I am not sure if this is correct?

Yes, that is the natural English equivalent.

• En ole varma = I’m not sure
• onko tämä oikein = if / whether this is correct/right

So the whole sentence is:

• En ole varma, onko tämä oikein.
  → I’m not sure if this is correct.
  (also: I’m not sure whether this is right.)

The nuance is the same: you express uncertainty about the correctness of tämä (this thing).

Why is there a comma before onko?

In Finnish, a comma is usually used before a subordinate clause (a dependent clause).

Here:

• En ole varma = main clause (I’m not sure)
• onko tämä oikein = subordinate clause (if this is correct)

Because onko tämä oikein depends on En ole varma (you’re not sure about that thing), Finnish orthographic rules require a comma before it:

• En ole varma, onko tämä oikein.

Why do we use onko and not just on or oliko?

A few points:

1. on is the present tense of olla for all persons:

   • tämä on = this is

2. -ko / -kö is a question suffix attached to the verb to form a yes/no question:

   • onko? = is (it)?
   • onko tämä oikein? = is this correct?

3. In this sentence, onko appears inside an indirect question (also called an embedded question):

   • onko tämä oikein = if / whether this is correct

So we need onko (not just on) because we are expressing a question-like idea inside a larger sentence.
We don’t use oliko because oliko is past tense (was it?). For the present time (is it?), we say onko.

Why is the word order onko tämä oikein and not tämä onko oikein?

In Finnish yes/no questions, the typical word order is:

1. Verb (with the -ko/-kö question suffix)
2. Subject
3. Other elements

So:

• Onko tämä oikein?
  = Is this correct?

This same pattern is kept when the question is embedded in a larger sentence:

• En ole varma, onko tämä oikein.
  = I’m not sure if this is correct.

Putting tämä first (tämä onko oikein) sounds ungrammatical in standard Finnish.

What does tämä refer to here? Can I use se instead?

Tämä means this (something near the speaker). It refers to some thing, idea, sentence, answer, etc. that has just been mentioned or is visible.

You could often use se (that/it) instead, depending on context:

• En ole varma, onko se oikein.
  = I’m not sure if it is correct.

Differences:

• tämä is more like this one here.
• se is more like that / it, often something already known in the conversation or not physically near.

Both can be correct; the choice depends on what you’re talking about and how “close” it feels in the situation.

Why is it oikein and not oikea?

Oikein is usually an adverb meaning correctly / right / in the right way.

In onko tämä oikein, oikein functions like correct / right in English but grammar-wise it’s closer to correctly.

Compare:

• onko tämä oikein
  → literally: is this (done) correctly / is this in the correct way
  → naturally: is this correct / is this right

Oikea is the adjective meaning right / correct / the right one:

• onko tämä oikea vastaus?
  = Is this the right answer?

So:

• tämä on oikein → this (thing/way) is correct/right
• tämä on oikea → this is the right/correct one (e.g. the right choice, the correct form)

Could I say En ole varma, onko tämä oikea instead? How would that change the meaning?

Yes, that is possible, but the nuance changes a bit.

• En ole varma, onko tämä oikein.
  → I’m not sure if this is correct (as a way of doing/saying something).

• En ole varma, onko tämä oikea.
  → I’m not sure if this is the right one / the correct one.

Oikein focuses more on the correctness of the form, method or result.
Oikea focuses more on choosing the correct item or option among alternatives.

How does the negative form En ole varma work grammatically?

Structure:

1. en = 1st person singular negative verb (I do not)
2. ole = basic present form of olla (to be, used after the negative verb)
3. varma = predicative adjective (sure)

In positive:

• Olen varma. = I am sure.

In negative:

• En ole varma. = I am not sure.

Notice how the personal ending moves:

• Positive: olen (1st person ending on olla)
• Negative: en (1st person marking moves to the negative verb), ole loses the personal ending.

If I want to say I wasn’t sure if this was correct, how do I change the sentence?

You need to put both the main clause and the embedded clause in the past tense:

• En ollut varma, oliko tämä oikein.

Breakdown:

• En ollut varma = I was not sure
  (past of En ole varma)
• oliko tämä oikein = if/whether this was correct
  (past of onko tämä oikein)

So:

• Present: En ole varma, onko tämä oikein.
• Past: En ollut varma, oliko tämä oikein.

Could I say En ole varma, että tämä on oikein instead of onko tämä oikein?

You can, but the meaning and feel change slightly.

• En ole varma, onko tämä oikein.

  • Embedded question.
  • Very natural, standard way to say I’m not sure if this is correct.

• En ole varma, että tämä on oikein.

  • että introduces a normal statement clause (that this is correct).
  • Sounds more like: I’m not sure that this is correct, sometimes implying a bit more doubt or contrast with someone else’s opinion.

In everyday Finnish, with varma, the pattern with onko is more typical when you mean if / whether.