Ystäväni on kiva ja kiltti, vaikka hän on usein väsynyt.

My friend is nice and kind, even though she/he is often tired.

Breakdown of Ystäväni on kiva ja kiltti, vaikka hän on usein väsynyt.

• olla: to be
• hän: he/she
• minun: my
• ystävä: the friend
• ja: and
• usein: often
• väsynyt: tired
• vaikka: even though
• kiva: nice
• kiltti: kind

Questions & Answers about Ystäväni on kiva ja kiltti, vaikka hän on usein väsynyt.

How does ystäväni mean my friend when there is no separate word for my?

Finnish often shows possession with a possessive suffix instead of a separate word.

• ystävä = friend
• -ni = my

So ystäväni literally means friend-my, which we translate as my friend.

You can also say minun ystäväni:

• minun = my (possessive pronoun)
• ystäväni still has -ni

Both ystäväni and minun ystäväni mean my friend. The short form without minun is very common and completely normal.

Can ystäväni also mean my friends? How do I know if it’s singular or plural?

Yes, ystäväni can mean either:

• my friend (1 person), or
• my friends (more than one)

The form is the same because:

• ystävä (singular) + -ni → ystäväni
• ystävä(t) (plural stem) + -ni → also ystäväni

You usually know from context and the verb form:

• Ystäväni on kiva. → on = singular verb → My friend is nice.
• Ystäväni ovat kivoja. → ovat = plural verb → My friends are nice.

In your sentence, Ystäväni on kiva… uses on (singular), so it clearly means My friend (one person).

Why is the verb on repeated? Could I say Ystäväni on kiva ja kiltti, vaikka hän usein väsynyt without the second on?

You need the second on in standard Finnish. Each clause must have its own verb:

• Main clause: Ystäväni on kiva ja kiltti
• Subordinate clause: vaikka hän on usein väsynyt

So hän on usein väsynyt is a complete clause.

The version …vaikka hän usein väsynyt is incorrect in standard language because the verb on is missing.

You might see or hear shortened versions like …vaikka usein väsynyt in very informal speech or writing, but they are colloquial and not recommended for learners’ neutral or written Finnish.

What exactly does vaikka mean here? Is it although, even though, or even if?

In this sentence, vaikka means although / even though:

Ystäväni on kiva ja kiltti, vaikka hän on usein väsynyt.
My friend is nice and kind, although (even though) he/she is often tired.

So it introduces a contrast:

• Positive fact: kiva ja kiltti
• Contrasting fact: usein väsynyt

vaikka can also mean even if in other contexts, but here the meaning is clearly although because the tiredness is presented as a real fact, not a hypothetical one.

What is the difference between kiva and kiltti? They both translate as nice, right?

Both can be translated as nice, but they focus on different aspects:

• kiva

  • General pleasant / nice / likable
  • Can describe people, situations, things:
    
    • kiva ihminen = a nice person
    • kiva elokuva = a nice movie
  • Often quite informal and friendly in tone.

• kiltti

  • kind, gentle, well‑behaved
  • Often about how someone treats others or behaves:
    
    • kiltti lapsi = a well‑behaved / good child
    • Hän oli tosi kiltti minua kohtaan. = He/She was very kind to me.

In your sentence, kiva ja kiltti suggests that the friend is both pleasant to be with and kind / considerate / gentle.

Why is there a comma before vaikka?

Vaikka starts a subordinate clause (a dependent clause). In Finnish punctuation:

• A comma normally separates the main clause from a subordinate clause introduced by words like että, koska, vaikka, jos etc.

So:

• Main clause: Ystäväni on kiva ja kiltti
• Subordinate clause: vaikka hän on usein väsynyt

Therefore we write:
Ystäväni on kiva ja kiltti, vaikka hän on usein väsynyt.

Can hän mean both he and she? How do Finns know which one is meant?

Yes, hän is gender‑neutral. It can mean he, she, or even they (for a single person, if you’re being gender-neutral in English).

Finnish does not grammatically mark gender in:

• personal pronouns (hän)
• verb forms
• adjectives

Finns understand the gender (if it matters) from context:

• previous sentences (e.g. Sanna on ystäväni. Hän on kiva… → clearly she)
• names, pictures, situation, or shared knowledge

If the gender is not clear or not important, English translations usually pick he or she, or sometimes they for gender‑neutral style.

Could I leave out hän and just say …, vaikka on usein väsynyt?

Yes, that is possible and natural if the subject is clear from context, as it is here.

Finnish often drops subject pronouns when it’s obvious who we’re talking about:

• Ystäväni on kiva ja kiltti, vaikka on usein väsynyt.

This is understood as …although (he/she) is often tired, still referring to ystäväni.

Including hän (as in your original sentence) is also perfectly correct. With or without hän here is mostly a matter of style and emphasis; both are common.

Why is it on usein väsynyt and not usein on väsynyt? Does word order matter with usein?

Both hän on usein väsynyt and hän usein on väsynyt are grammatically correct, but the neutral choice is:

• hän on usein väsynyt

In Finnish, adverbs like usein (often) can move around to slightly change emphasis:

• Hän on usein väsynyt.
  – Neutral: He/She is often tired.

• Hän usein on väsynyt.
  – Puts a bit more focus on usein (the frequency). Sounds more marked or contrastive.

• Usein hän on väsynyt.
  – Strongest emphasis on usein: Often, he/she is tired.

So word order is flexible, but the original hän on usein väsynyt is the most typical, unmarked phrasing.

Why are kiva and kiltti after on? In English we say nice and kind friend, with adjectives before the noun.

In this sentence, kiva and kiltti are predicative adjectives describing the subject after the verb on:

• Ystäväni on kiva ja kiltti.
  → literally: My friend is nice and kind.

When you say X is Y, Finnish puts Y after the verb:

• Auto on uusi. = The car is new.
• Kaupunki on suuri. = The city is big.
• Ystäväni on kiva ja kiltti. = My friend is nice and kind.

Adjectives only go before the noun when they are part of a noun phrase, like in English:

• kiva ystävä = a nice friend
• kiltti lapsi = a kind / well-behaved child

So:

• kiva ystävä = a nice friend (adjective before noun)
• Ystäväni on kiva. = My friend is nice. (adjective after the verb on)