Questions & Answers about Nauru puistossa on hauskaa.
What is the most natural English translation of "Nauru puistossa on hauskaa"?
A natural translation is:
- "Laughing in the park is fun."
You can also translate it more literally as:
- "Laughter in the park is fun."
Finnish uses the noun nauru ("laughter") where English would very often use a -ing form ("laughing").
What is the word‑for‑word breakdown of "Nauru puistossa on hauskaa"?
Word by word:
- nauru = laughter
- puisto = park
- puisto-ssa = in the park
(inessive case: inside / in something) - on = is (3rd person singular of olla, "to be")
- hauska = fun, amusing
- hauska-a = (partitive form of hauska, used here predicatively)
So, very literally: "Laughter in-the-park is fun‑(partitive)."
Why is "nauru" (a noun) used instead of a verb like "nauraa"?
In Finnish, it’s extremely common to use nouns to talk about activities in a general way, where English would use a verb or a gerund:
- nauru = laughter (the act/phenomenon of laughing)
- tanssi = dance, dancing
- laulu = song, singing