Keho on terve.

The body is healthy.

Breakdown of Keho on terve.

• olla: to be
• terve: healthy
• keho: the body

Questions & Answers about Keho on terve.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” in Keho on terve?

Finnish does not use articles at all. There is no separate word for “a/an” or “the”.

So Keho on terve can mean, depending on context:

• The body is healthy.
• A body is healthy.
• Body is healthy. (in a more general, abstract sense)

The listener understands which one you mean from context, not from a special word like “the” or “a”.

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What does on mean here, and how is the verb olla (“to be”) conjugated?

On is the 3rd person singular present form of olla (“to be”):

• olla = to be
• olen = I am
• olet = you (sg.) are
• on = he/she/it is; the body is
• olemme = we are
• olette = you (pl.) are / you (formal) are
• ovat = they are

So in Keho on terve, on simply means “is”.

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Why is terve in its basic form, not terveä or terveenä?